Texas A&M University’s Department of Philosophy is kicking off the fall semester with a new major: Society, Ethics and Law (SEAL). Previously a University Studies concentration, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in June approved the proposal that revised the degree, upgrading the concentration to a major and moving it into the philosophy department.
Dr. Kristi Sweet, associate professor and head of Texas A&M Philosophy, said that while the SEAL program was originally designed with pre-law students in mind, it is also a good fit for students aspiring to nonprofit, fundraising, community service, governmental and religious professions, among others.
Dr. Mark J. Zoran, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said the new degree — the only one of its kind in Texas — also supports Texas A&M President Mark Welsh’s goal to advance student citizenship.
“We think this degree, along with being an excellent potential path to law school, will be a destination degree for a wide range of students interested in issues integral to citizenship, such as ethics and societal justice,” Zoran said.
The precursor to the new philosophy major — the University Studies SEAL concentration — was first offered in 2017. Dr. Linda Radzik, professor of philosophy and director of undergraduate studies, credits her colleague, Dr. Dwayne Raymond, instructional associate professor of philosophy, with putting forward the SEAL concept. Raymond, she said, proposed that the multidisciplinary nature of a University Studies degree could align with the recommendations of the American Bar Association (ABA) for students interested in law and related careers. Philosophy department faculty created a set of course requirements with broad parameters that gave students a general understanding of philosophy, politics, economics and history. The program also encouraged students to pursue experiences and opportunities reflective of the ABA’s recommended skill set: problem solving, critical reading, writing and editing, oral communication and listening, and research.
The degree was attractive to students like Daniela Villasenor-Ramos ’25, a senior from McAllen, who was among the 120 University Studies in SEAL majors last year.
“Going into undergrad my freshman year, I already knew I wanted to pursue a career in law,” Villasenor-Ramos said.
But she also knew that in four years, her plans could change.
“I was looking at the list of majors, trying to see if there was anything that would give me more options in case I decided not to pursue a career as a lawyer,” she said. “I came across the University Studies SEAL major and liked how it would give me a lot of opportunities to explore different things. It would prepare me for more than one career.”
Radzik said that although the new SEAL degree requires that students take more specific courses like ethics, social philosophy, political philosophy and legal philosophy instead of sampling a wider range of philosophy classes like before, the multidisciplinary nature of the degree remains. Some requirements, for instance, will be fulfilled through courses in the communications and journalism, sociology, political science and history departments.
Radzik said that after reworking the multidisciplinary SEAL program, philosophy faculty agreed that streamlining the requirements and tying the program more closely to the department will benefit students in a host of ways.
“It can be more concentrated, it can still be multidisciplinary, it can speak more to students’ actual interests, but it can also build community among them and move them toward what they want to be doing professionally,” she said.
It will also improve mentorship opportunities and student advising, she added.
Villasenor-Ramos said she plans to transfer to the new SEAL major rather than complete the University Studies degree requirements.
“I took philosophy of law, philosophy of mind, contemporary moral issues — classes that were related to law, even though they weren't required,” she said. “With this new major, I see a lot of those classes are the requisites, so it should work out perfectly for me.”
Though other disciplines typically come to mind when thinking of a pre-law education, Sweet said that philosophy majors are among those who score the highest on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). With the SEAL major, Texas A&M students will be even better prepared for law school.
“A philosophy major can be advantageous for a student who wants to develop critical thinking, high-quality writing and excellent communication skills, especially in terms of communicating with people who don’t already share their ideas,” Sweet said. “Philosophy can help you learn how to hear, understand and conceptualize things that you don’t already hold as your own views. The society, ethics and law major is very well-suited for students who want to use those skills in arenas where their goal is to transform society for the better.”