Which is the best U.S university for undergraduate Philosophy?

Answer 1

Princeton University has a very strong Philosophy department. A family friend teaches graduate Philosophy at Stanford and went undergraduate to Williams College where he majored in Philosophy. As my son was contemplating which school to apply to for math and/or philosophy majors, that friend basically said that Williams undergrad and Princeton grad was the best of both worlds. Given Princeton's emphasis on its graduate program, some feel that the undergrads get short-changed a bit. Though I'm sure it's top-notch, regardless.

I hope that helps.

I checked some reference materials on the other Ivies plus Stanford and Northwestern, and Philosophy doesn't appear to be a "Strong Program" at any of them. But for that matter, it doesn't show up as a "Strong Program" at Williams, either.

I'm sure there are other sources you can look at. What about the U.S. News & World Report College Rankings? Maybe they have that level of specificity in there somewhere? Check online.

Wow, that source the other "answerer" provided is a great one. There's a section on undergraduate study....which basically says that someone should focus on the quality of the overall education first, then zone in on philosophy offerings, etc. Sounds like philosophy gets in full swing in graduate studies.

Answer 2

"Best" may be a bit hard to qualify. I would look at: http://www.philosophicalgourmet.com/overall.asp which has rankings by reputation of the faculty. I would also consider small loberal arts colleges like Oberlin, Reed, New College of Florida, Hampshire, etc.