Encouraging a humane, yet intellectually strict, approach to all fields and courses of study, not just those traditionally included in liberal arts and science departments. This is of crucial importance for persons entering professions such as medicine, law, education and engineering. The department is also the home of Central's interdisciplinary Religious Studies program, which enables students to examine religion objectively as a pervasive phenomenon of human life. Courses and faculty are drawn from various CWU departments, in addition to Philosophy. This provides knowledge of the history, practices, and literature of religious traditions, the varieties of religious world views, and the modes of religious thought and language.
Philosophy can sometimes assist individuals in their personal lives.
It encourages people to face, understand and evaluate the fundamental beliefs by which they try to make sense of things and gain insight into themselves, other persons and the universe. Philosophy is excellent preparation for teaching at the college level, and good preparation for teaching in secondary schools. It is also good preparation for law, the ministry, journalism, computer science, government and politics, business, academic administration, librarianship and technical writing. Many of these fields require supplementary training, so philosophers who wish to enter them are advised to secure a minor, or a second major, directly related to the field. For students who want practical work experience, the department offers cooperative education courses.