Honors Philosophy

Modeled after the tutorial systems of Oxford and Cambridge Universities, U.Va.’s Honors Program in Philosophy is unique in the United States. “Our program is based exclusively on the tutorial system, and students’ work in tutorials is ungraded,” said program director Daniel Devereux. “Students graduate with Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors, based on their performance in final comprehensive exams set by external examiners.” Students and faculty meet weekly for one-on-one tutorials on such heady subjects as ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics.

Typically three students a year are selected for the four-semester program, which affords a level of faculty attention unattainable in other instructional settings. Because the University does not count tutorials as part of a faculty member’s teaching load, they must be willing to volunteer extra time to participate. So how does the 63-year-old program survive? “Discussion is the ideal way of teaching philosophy,” Devereux said. “If you have students who are hardworking and really love the material, [the tutorial program] is an extremely rewarding teaching experience.”