The University of Michigan and Ann Arbor communities have extraordinary resources and opportunities to engage in everyday life and enrich your experience here as a student.
Facilities & Campus
The Department of Philosophy is housed in the beautiful Angell Hall, a central location within a block of the University Library and other main campus buildings, and minutes from campus area book stores, restaurants, coffee houses, and shopping.
The Department has marvelous facilities for seminars and classes, work and study, and the informal exchange of ideas. We have our own classroom for advanced courses, as well as a seminar room and a commons room for informal interaction. Graduate students have study spaces, with work areas and shelf space for individual students. There is also a separate space for graduate student instructors to hold office hours and meet with undergraduates. In addition, the University's largest computing site is located in Angell Hall.
The Department's Tanner Philosophy Library, also located in Angell Hall, is a gem. Its non-circulating collection includes over six thousand monographs and a selection of print journal subscriptions. Tanner has its own online catalog for Tanner holdings. The Library also holds Michigan Philosophy dissertations since 1950 and a special collection from the private library of the late William Frankena. The two main rooms of the Library provide yet an additional option for graduate work space. And just across the quad, Michigan’s University Library is among the top ten academic libraries in the country.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor offers many advantages as a place to live and do philosophy. Located thirty minutes west of the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Ann Arbor is a city of 110,000. Only forty miles from Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, it combines the intimacy of a moderate sized university town with rich and diverse cultural resources (especially in music), and the advantages of a large metropolitan area. There are several festivals and public events year-round; an abundance of highly-rated restaurants; and best of all, a cost of living far below that of New York or Los Angeles. Many graduate students will take advantage of the easy access to Chicago and Toronto for weekend excursions or conferences.
The city of Detroit is a short bus ride or drive away and offers students the attractions of “big city” life. Detroit is a vibrant city full of restaurants, sports, the arts, and other adventures.The MDetroit Connector offers bus rides to and from the city; check the current schedule before planning your trip.
