Program Review
B.A. in Philosophy
April, 2008
Executive Summary
Judged in terms of Robert C. Dickeson's criteria for program review, the B.A. program in
Philosophy at Southeast healthy. Though small in terms of majors, the program in philosophy is
of exceptionally high quality, exceptionally low cost, and has an impact on campus that far
exceeds the size of the major.
Productivity
 Philosophy is part of one of the most cost effective departments on campus. The
department (PSPR) is consistently one of the top five departments across campus in terms
of student credit hour productivity per faculty member. The 5 year average SCHR
productivity for the department is 310. (Table 4)
 Faculty in philosophy and religion serve 1444 students per semester in University Studies
courses producing 4332 credit hours.
 The program in philosophy has a very high ratio of graduates to majors indicating success
in keeping students in the pipeline until graduation.
Revenue
 The program produces substantial revenues. 3.55 FTE in philosophy and religion, who
cost just over $372,000/year, generate $907,000 in revenue. (Table 11)
 The program supplies substantial numbers of student credit hours in service courses that
could not be absorbed by other departments without incurring costs equal to or greater
than the costs of the program.
Costs
 The program in philosophy is exceptionally low, only $871 per major. (Table 11)
 The major in philosophy has been so fully integrated into the University Studies program
that at most one section of one course per semester is devoted exclusively to the major.
Importance
 The program in philosophy provides mission essential service courses that serve 17 other
programs on campus in 4 other colleges.
 The program is integrated with other curricula.
 The program provides knowledge and expertise essential to providing a liberal education.
Quality
 Philosophy majors regularly score well above College, University and National norms on
standardized tests including WP 003, the CCTST, the LSAT, the GRE, and the GMAT.
 Philosophy majors applying to graduate and professional school for the past 5 years have
a 100% acceptance rate.
1
Criterion I: Size, Scope and Productivity of the Program
The B.A. in Philosophy at Southeast is, always has been, and will likely always be relatively
small. Since Phase I review, the major has been growing at a slow but stable rate. Our target has
been to have between 20 and 25 majors, a very healthy number in a medium sized
comprehensive regional university, and we have achieved or exceeded that target (See Table 4).
Moreover, we have produced a number of graduates consistent with the size of the program
indicating good retention until graduation. But the primary mission of the program in
philosophy at Southeast has never been to generate large numbers of majors but rather to serve
the needs of general education by providing top quality courses in the University Studies
program.
How productive is the program in philosophy in terms of its mission?
 16 programs across the University require at least one philosophy course. (See Table 1)
 More than half of the program's regularly scheduled (at least once a year) course
offerings are required by other programs on campus.
 Philosophy and Religion deliver courses in 6 of the 12 lower division University Studies
Categories. (See Table 2)
 Philosophy and Religion deliver 7 of the UI 300 level courses and 6 of the UI 400 level
courses (many of those serving the needs of other programs).
 Since the 2002-2003 academic year the unit of which Philosophy and Religion is a part
(PSPR) has consistently been one of the highest student credit hour producing programs
on campus. (See Table 4)
 Faculty in philosophy and religion serve 1444 students per semester, both on and off
campus, in University Studies courses producing 4332 credit hours.
 The major in philosophy has been more fully incorporated into the University Studies
program to a greater degree than any other program on campus.
 Given the incorporation of the major into the University Studies program, it is necessary
to provide at most one section of one course per semester devoted exclusively to the
major. Even our specialized courses in the history of philosophy serve students enrolled
in other majors (e.g., History and Political Science) and have reasonable enrollments in
the mid teens.
The student credit hour productivity of the program in philosophy could be higher, but the
department has been committed to University initiatives that actually reduce enrollments. For
example, we have consistently provided courses for Southeast PM upon request and the Office of
Off Campus Programs, even though those sections seldom reach capacity. Similarly, we have
been committed to distance education through both ITV and Web-based courses, even though
enrollments in those sections are regularly less than those for face to face sections. Finally, we
have been committed to the University Honors program even though honors sections, which
have lower capacities than regular sections to begin with, often fail to reach capacity. To the
extent that the University is committed to these initiatives, we are.
Criterion II: Revenue and other resources generated by the program
Philosophy and Religion at Southeast are revenue producing programs. The principal source of
revenue generated by the programs comes from student tuition and fees. The total cost of
2
running the programs in philosophy and religion at Southeast is $372,049 per year. The net
revenue from courses in the major and service courses combined is $907,091 per year.
Accordingly, the programs in philosophy and religion produce a profit for the University of at
least $535,042 per year. (Table 11) With only 3.55 FTE, this is extraordinary revenue
generation. The Department of which political science is a part has a net cost of $917,859 (with
an average cost per major for political science and philosophy of only $980) with net revenues of
$2,138,705 and a profit to the university of $1,220,840. Only 2 departments, Mathematics and
English, produce more net revenue. (Table 10) Only 3 departments have a lower departmental
cost per major. (Table 10)
Much of the service burden borne by the program in philosophy simply could not be shifted to
other programs on campus. Many of our courses required by other programs (e.g., PL 204
Ethical Theory, PL 245 Social Philosophy, UI 422 Scientific Reasoning, and UI 429
Environmental Ethics) require specialized training and expertise that will not be found outside a
program in philosophy. In other cases, it would simply be unwise to shift the service burden
borne by philosophy to another program. Consider UI 400, Business and Ethics. While that
course is also taught by faculty in the College of Business, the student load carried by philosophy
could not be absorbed by the College of Business without additional faculty resources. Since
business faculty salaries are higher than philosophy faculty salaries, it is difficult to see how
shifting the UI 400 service load to the College of Business addresses the current financial crisis.
Criterion III: Costs and other expenses associated with the program
Despite the small size of the major, the program in philosophy is very low cost. The low cost for
the major is the result of careful and intentional design. Philosophy, more than any other major
in the University, has integrated the major into the University Studies program, so that we can
deliver a top quality program that piggybacks on our basic service mission. The adjusted cost for
the program in philosophy is $32,232. With 37 majors, that produces, using the general set of
assumptions for calculating costs of the program, a cost per student majoring in philosophy of
$871. This is an exceptionally low cost per major. Unfortunately, the data sets provided for
determining cost per major are incomplete (some programs do not have numbers of majors
entered and so no cost per major totals are available), but of the 49 programs for which the data
are available, the program in philosophy is the 13th least costly on the list, and well within a
cluster of some 15 programs that cost between $398 and $980 per major. Philosophy is not an
equipment intensive discipline and, sadly for us, faculty salaries are not high. Accordingly, an
efficiently run philosophy program that is fully integrated into the general education program,
though small, has a low cost per major and produces a very high return on the investment.
Criterion IV: Impact, Justification, and Overall Essentiality to the Southeast
Mission
The impact of the program in philosophy at Southeast is disproportionately large given the size
of the program and the number of faculty. Philosophy is represented in more University Studies
categories than any other program at the University. Moreover, philosophy provides essential
service courses that are required by programs in the Harrison College of Business, the College of
Education, the College of Health and Human Services, and the College of Science and
Mathematics. This disproportionate impact is to be expected, however, given the nature of
philosophy as a discipline and the structure of the University Studies program at Southeast.
3
University Studies Objectives 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 all relate directly to traditional areas of
philosophical inquiry: epistemology, logic, and value theory. Of particular importance are the
courses that philosophy offers in applied ethics—Business & Ethics, Environmental Ethics,
Medical Ethics, Media Ethics. Most of these courses cannot be delivered by other units on
campus because of the specialized training needed to deliver them and, if they can be, the cost of
shifting the burden to another unit would be greater than the cost of delivery by philosophy (e.g.,
Business & Ethics). In light of Southeast’s mission and its internal decisions about fundamental
goals of liberal education, philosophy provides essential services.
Historically, philosophy has always been closely linked to the ideal of liberal education.
Philosophy seeks to develop in students the intellectual curiosity and the specific inquisitive
skills that mark a liberally educated person. Philosophy fully embraces Thomas Jefferson’s
admonition that an educated person should "fix reason firmly in her seat and call before her
tribunal every fact, every opinion.” It is difficult to imagine a program of liberal education
worthy of the name that does not include philosophy as a component. (cf. Dickson, p. 6s) The
major in philosophy is of exceptionally high quality, exceptionally low cost and it serves a
particular cross section of the student body without which the University would be much worse
off.
Similar arguments apply to the minor in Religion and to the courses offered in religion.
Elimination of the minor saves no money at all, since the minor is comprised entirely of service
courses. Eliminating the academic study of religion entirely from the University is unwise.
External demand is relatively high, and many students from our service region have a deep
interest in examining both their own religious tradition and those of others. Courses in religion
tend to make students more tolerant of religious diversity and more informed about the religious
roots of many social and political conflicts.
The impact of philosophy at Southeast extends beyond the curriculum. Philosophy faculty
regularly provide workshops, participate in colloquia and panel discussions, and take leadership
roles in important University initiatives such as student outcomes assessment. The impact of
philosophy is enormous, and the services provided by the program and its faculty are essential.
Criterion V: External Demand for the Program
The external demand for philosophy in Missouri is moderate to low. The ACT interest data
indicate that interest in philosophy falls right in the middle of the programs currently under
review. It is important to note that philosophy is one of only three programs under review in
which 100% of the students interested in the discipline who sent their scores to Southeast
actually enrolled at Southeast. Unlike almost all other majors on campus, philosophy must
recruit students with no prior experience with or exposure to the discipline. Very few students
have any formal exposure to philosophy in their primary or secondary schooling.
When religion and theology are added to philosophy, however, the external demand increases to
being moderately high. The ACT interest data place philosophy, religion and theology solidly in
the top third of the programs currently under review. Many students in Missouri wish to engage
in the formal, academic study of religion. A number of Southeast religion minors have gone on
4
to pursue either advanced degrees in the academic study of religion or degrees in divinity or
theology (preparation for entry into the ministry).
Criterion VI: Internal Demand for the Program
Internal demand for philosophy is very high.
 16 programs across the University require at least one course offered by the philosophy
program. (Table 1)
 Philosophy courses are fully integrated into the University Studies curriculum at both the
lower and upper division levels, being represented in 6 of the 12 University Studies
categories. (Table 2)
 In 3 of those University Studies categories, philosophy courses are essential for
curriculum diversity; that is, absent philosophy and religion those 3 categories would be
dominated by courses from one department.
 Philosophy faculty members regularly provide 60 – 75% of the sections of UI 400,
Business and Ethics, a core course requirement for all students in the Harrison College of
Business.
 UI 422, Scientific Reasoning, satisfies a Missouri State Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education (D.E.S.E.) requirement for secondary science education (history
and philosophy of science).
 UI 429, Environmental Ethics, is a capstone requirement for the Environmental Sciences
program.
 Philosophy is a part of a unit that consistently produces one of the highest student credit
hour per faculty member production ratios in the University. (Table 4)
Criterion VII: Quality of Program Inputs and Processes
Without a doubt, the highest quality input into the program in philosophy is the set of students
we serve. Philosophy tends to attract some of the best and brightest students in the University,
providing them with a vehicle to satisfy their particular kinds of intellectual curiosity. Many of
these students take a degree in philosophy as part of a double major or double degree, and
without an opportunity to study philosophy these excellent students may well seek other
universities. Philosophy students have consistently high ACT scores, well above College,
University, and National averages.(See Table 5) Moreover, a disproportionate number of
philosophy majors (53%) are scholarship students. Finally, the average number of graduates in
philosophy per year compared to the average number of majors indicates that the vast majority of
our majors are retained to graduation (Table 3). These are all indicators of the excellence of the
student population served by the program in philosophy.
Other program inputs and processes in the major in philosophy are of exceptionally high quality.
100% of the courses in philosophy are delivered by faculty with doctoral degrees (including the
one continuing non-tenure track faculty member). Each faculty member in philosophy is
actively engaged in productive scholarly activities. Faculty regularly publish papers in refereed
journals and give scholarly presentations at international, national and regional
conferences.(Documentation available in Departmental Annual Reports) The curriculum has
been reviewed and refined several times over the past decade to make it current and compatible
with the majority of courses we offer in the University Studies program. The program has been
highly adaptable to advances in technology. PL 120, Symbolic Logic I, was one of the first
5
courses on campus to fully embrace CAI programs to supplement classroom instruction. 3 of the
4 faculty members have modified their courses to fit the ITV/Distance Education thrust of the
University, and 3 of the 4 faculty have developed courses for WEB-based delivery. Finally, it is
important to note that the former department of Philosophy and Religion was a campus leader in
student outcomes assessment. Not only did the department embrace the idea of outcomes
assessment as a tool to measure quality, several other departments on campus modeled their
assessment plans and procedures on those developed by Philosophy and Religion.
Criterion VIII: Quality of Program Outputs
By any reasonable measure, the program in Philosophy must be judged as one of the highest
quality programs in the entire University. As the attached data tables (taken from annual student
outcomes assessment reports) show, for the past 5 years Philosophy majors have consistently
performed significantly above College and University averages on the California Critical
Thinking Skills Test, and above College and University averages on each subscore. (See Table 6)
Of the programs currently under review, Philosophy majors have the highest overall CCTST
average. On the University's own WP 003 Writing Assessment examination, Philosophy majors
score significantly above College and University averages, and regularly rank as one of the top 3
performing departments in the University. (See Table 7) The GRE and LSAT scores of
Philosophy majors are consistently above national averages. (See Tables 8 & 9) This is
particularly significant, as a chief goal of the major is to prepare students for graduate or
professional study. For the past 5 years, 100% of the philosophy students who have sought
admission to graduate or law school have gained admission. There can be no doubt that the B.A.
in Philosophy at Southeast is an exceptionally high quality program that is run efficiently and
economically and serves a small but important segment of the student population.
Summary
The primary mission of philosophy at Southeast is to provide service courses to support liberal
education. Philosophy has embraced the ideals of liberal education and the University Studies
program more than any other program on campus. The program delivers a wide array of courses,
many of them essential to other programs on campus, which generate significant student credit
hours and revenues that cannot be recouped elsewhere in the university without incurring costs.
As noted earlier, the program can increase our student credit hour productivity, but doing so
would come at the cost of other important University initiatives. Finally, the courses the
program provides require specialized training and expertise, and cannot be provided by other
units on campus. Quite simply, philosophy provides cost effective services that are essential to
Southeast’s mission.
Respectfully submitted,
H. Hamner Hill,
Chairperson, Department of Political Science, Philosophy, and Religion
hhill@semo.edu
651-2816
6
Supporting Data Tables
Table 1
Philosophy courses required by other Programs
Course Number
PL 204
PL 245
UI 400
UI 422
UI 429
Course Name
Ethical Theory
Social Philosophy
Business & Ethics
Required by
Sports Management
Music Education
Accounting
Administrative Systems Management
Economics
Finance
International Business
Management
Management Information Systems
Marketing
Organizational Administration
Scientific Reasoning Biology Education
Chemistry education
Earth Science Education
Physics Education
Environmental Ethics Environmental Science
Table 2
Lower Division Philosophy & Religion Courses Offered by University Studies
Category
Artistic Expression
PL 203 Aesthetics & the Arts
Literary Expression
PL 110 Readings in Philosophy
RS 201 New Testament Literature
RS 202 Old Testament Literature
Written Expression
PL 115 Philosophical Writing
Oral Expression
Behavioral Systems
PL 204 Ethical Theory
Living Systems
Major Civilizations
Physical Systems
Political Systems
Economic Systems
Logical Systems
Social Systems
PL 120 Symbolic Logic I PL 245 Social Philosophy
RS 101 World Religions
Table 3
Majors and Graduate Over Time
Philosophy
Number of majors
Number of graduates
Phase III data
F2001- F2002- F2003- F2004- F2005- F2006SU2002 SU2003 SU2004 SU2005 SU2006 SU2007
22
15
21
21
32
37
8
3
2
7
0
6
3
Table 4
Student Credit Hour Productivity Per Faculty Member By Department Over Time
DEPT
MATH
PSYC
PSPR
CJ
HES
FL&A
HISTORY
ECFI
MGMK
AMIS
INDT
ENGLISH
COMM
MSE
BIOL
AGRI
PEP
EESE
CCSI
HHPR
CHEM
ART
SW
THDA
MUSIC
EDAC
NURSING
CDIS
2002-2003
333.7 ( 116%)
318.3( 96%)
312.1 (94%)
311.9(107%)
309.3( 133%)
295.7(125%)
285.7( 112%)
281.7(105%)
275.8( 92%)
267.1(89%)
261.4(87%)
261.4 ( 98%)
257.4(98 %)
239.7(103%)
235.1( 106%)
234.1(108 %)
231.2( 87%)
229.8 (97 %)
217.6(95%)
215.2( 92%)
187.8(86 %)
185.0( 87%)
154.0(62%)
144.7 (71%)
118.3( 106%)
114.3 (83%)
109.8(80 %)
105.1 ( 89%)
2003-2004
PSPR
CJ
INDT
PSYC
HES
MATH
AMIS
FL&A
ECFI
HISTORY
MSE
BIOL
MGMK
COMM
ENGLISH
SW
AGRI
PEP
HHPR
EESE
CHEM
ART
CCSI
THDA
MUSIC
NURSING
CDIS
EDAC
321.8(98 %)
316.6 (110%)
309.4( 115%)
305.5 (92%)
302.8(128%)
293.5(101%)
290.9(97%)
283.1(122 %)
275.6(92%)
274.7( 107%)
251.7 (95 %)
250.5( 95%)
249.8(83%)
249.4( 112%)
244.9( 93%)
241.0( 112%)
240.9(104%)
226.9(99%)
222.9( 95%)
222.3 (94 %)
195.7(90%)
174.2(82 %)
159.(64 %)
148.4 (72%)
136.7(122 %)
113.7( 83%)
109.9 ( 93%)
87.1 ( 64%)
2004-2005
FL&A
CJ
PSYC
PSPR
MATH
HES
HISTORY
MGMK
INDT
AGRI
ECFI
AMIS
ENGLISH
BIOL
SW
HHPR
COMM
PEP
CHEM
ART
EESE
EDAC
THDA
CCSI
NURSING
MUSIC
CDIS
MSE
317.9( 136%)
314.9(110%)
310.3 (93%)
307.0(93 %)
284.4(97%)
283.5(120%)
282.6( 110%)
275.7(92%)
262.5( 98%)
254.8(110%)
248.1(83%)
243.5( 81%)
235.4( 90%)
233.4( 88%)
233.2( 108%)
231.7(99 %)
229.8(104 %)
213.6(93%)
198.4(91%)
194.9( 92%)
185.7 (78 %)
174.2 ( 127%)
154.2 (75%)
140.7(57%)
124.8( 91%)
113.6( 101%)
112.3 ( 95%)
75.6 (28%)
2005-2006
CJ
PSYC
PSPR
HISTORY
FL&A
AGRI
MATH
HES
SW
ECFI
BIOL
PEP
INDT
ENGLISH
MGMK
COMM
AMIS
HHPR
CHEM
ART
EESE
EDAC
NURSING
CCSI
THDA
MUSIC
CDIS
MSE
Source: Departmental Key Performance Indicators available at
http://www2.semo.edu/provost/Key%20Performance%20Indicators/KPI%20homepage.htm
8
333.8(116%)
315.3 (95%)
312.2( 95%)
297.5( 116%)
295.4( 127%)
294.7(127%)
285.9( 98%)
280.1(119%)
272.1( 126%)
258.8(86%)
258.0( 97%)
256.4(111%)
253.8 (94%)
242.7(93 %)
241.5(81%)
239.7( 108%)
228.3(76%)
220.7( 94%)
206.9(95%)
205.7( 97%)
174.2 (74 %)
164.1 ( 120%)
143.0(104 %)
141.5
135.4 (66%)
118.9( 106%)
117.1 (99 %)
109.1 (41%)
2006-2007
PSYC
CJ
SW
HIST
PSPR
HHPR
FLAN
MATH
MGMK
PHYS
ENGL
AGRI
MSED
BIOL
ECFI
AMIS
IET
ELES
CHEM
HES
COMM
ART
CSCI
THDA
NURS
CMDS
EDAD
MUSC
330
322
311
306
305
288
282
272
267
263
261
260
260
253
247
239
229
225
222
221
220
215
172
146
142
140
126
117
Table 5
ACT Scores for Philosophy Majors
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Department 26.0 26.2 25.5 25.9 25.6
College
21.8 21.2 20.8 21.2 22.6
University
22.3 22.3 22.2 22.1 22.1
Table 6
California Critical Thinking Skills Test
2003 Sp2004 2005 2006 2007
2007
Dept. Dept. Dept. Dept. Dept College
2007
University
CCTST Total
18
25.5
n/a
27.5
23
16
16
Analysis
6.0
7.0
n/a
8.5
5.0
4.4
4.4
Evaluation
6.5
10.5
n/a
11.5
8.8
6.0
5.7
Inference
10.5
8.0
n/a
7.5
7.8
5.9
5.8
Deduction
10.5
12.0
n/a
13.0
10.5
7.9
7.7
Induction
9.0
10.0
n/a
10.5
9.0
6.6
6.4
Table 7
WP 003 Results
Mean by
Department
College
University
2003
9.0
8.3
8.2
Sp2004
9.0
8.4
8.3
2005
n/a
8.3
8.3
2006
9.0
8.3
8.4
2007
8.7
8.2
8.2
Table 8
GRE Results
Sub-Score
Analytic
Quantitative
Verbal
Analytic
Writing
2002
720
660
610
---
2003
560
570
610
---
Sp2004
--740
550
5.5
2005
--n/a
n/a
n/a
2006
--720
660
5.0
9
2007
--700
650
5.0
National Average
--600
490
4.37
Table 9
LSAT Results
Average Score 2002 2003 Sp2004 2005 2006 2007
Department
158 n/a
n/a
162 157 155
National
153 152 153
153 153 154
Table 10
Departmental Profit (Loss) Comparison and Cost per Major Comparison
DEPT
TOTAL
COST
TOTAL
Revenue
Profit
(Loss)
MATH
ENGL
PSPR
ELES
PSYC
HHPR
COMM
CJSO
HIST
FLAN
MSED
BIOL
MGMK
IET
SW
AMIS
PHYS
EDAD
ART
CHEM
ECFI
AGRI
CSCI
CMDS
THDA
MUSC
NURS
HES
$1,547,457
$1,881,178
$917,859
$943,463
$1,096,576
$1,067,807
$1,407,931
$708,029
$964,876
$739,280
$594,666
$1,401,731
$1,374,200
$1,165,398
$533,519
$1,929,400
$854,097
$689,756
$837,133
$861,801
$1,124,652
$607,439
$527,667
$607,222
$676,044
$1,255,978
$1,423,871
$1,619,509
$4,377,909
$3,975,312
$2,138,705
$2,157,350
$2,198,839
$1,962,357
$2,161,191
$1,365,828
$1,592,200
$1,354,426
$1,150,758
$1,918,509
$1,841,925
$1,588,559
$953,372
$2,250,090
$1,166,797
$924,721
$1,048,178
$1,059,838
$1,286,141
$691,834
$356,431
$427,105
$473,996
$921,655
$1,057,788
$950,147
$2,830,452
$2,094,134
$1,220,846
$1,213,887
$1,102,263
$894,550
$753,260
$657,799
$627,324
$615,146
$556,092
$516,778
$467,725
$423,161
$419,853
$320,690
$312,700
$234,965
$211,045
$198,037
$161,489
$84,395
($171,236)
($180,117)
($202,048)
($334,323)
($366,083)
($669,362)
DEPT
10
MUSC
THDA
CMDS
CSCI
ART
ECFI
ENGL
NURS
HES
PHYS
SW
MSED
CHEM
AMIS
EDAD
AGRI
MATH
IET
PSYC
MGMK
CJSO
HIST
COMM
HHPR
PSPR
ELES
BIOL
FLAN
COST
PER
MAJOR
$5,422
$5,009
$4,692
$2,751
$2,655
$2,146
$2,085
$2,034
$1,840
$1,780
$1,731
$1,655
$1,653
$1,652
$1,553
$1,515
$1,403
$1,361
$1,292
$1,271
$1,155
$1,098
$1,064
$1,017
$980
$890
$830
$747
Table 11
Unit Cost, Revenue, and Cost per Major
DEPT UNIT
Total Cost
PSPR PL
$301,604
PSPR RS
PLRS Total
$70,445
$372,049
Total Revenue
$580,467
$326,624
Cost per Major
$871
n/a
$907,091
$871
Derived from data presented by the Office of the Provost at
http://www2.semo.edu/provost/Phase%20III%20data/2006-7/UNIT%20COSTS.htm and
http://www2.semo.edu/provost/Phase%20III%20data/20067/REV%20FS%20ON%20OFF%20BY%20UNIT.htm
11
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