Prior to the establishment of the Department of Philosophy and Religion in 1968, instruction in those areas was somewhat sporadic. Area clergy occasionally taught religion courses through the college. The 1947-48 catalog first mentions this arrangement. College faculty taught philosophy courses, however. / Philosophy courses have been taught since the founding of the college. Instruction in "moral philosophy" was required by the Morrill Act, which established land grant colleges, including South Dakota State University. A chair of Psychology and Philosophy was established in 1885. A Department of Philosophy was established in 1906, and for a short while philosophy, psychology, and education courses were taught through it. Courses were moved to the Education Department in 1913 and remained there until a Department of Psychology and Philosophy was established in 1967. In 1968, these disciplined splits, with psychology becoming an independent department and philosophy joining with religion. / In 1975, the department was allowed to offer the minor in philosophy and in 1978 the minor in religion. Efforts were made to develop a major in philosophy but the Board of Regents denied the request. / Students from any major may undertake the academic study of philosophy at South Dakota State University. The academic study of religion is designed to enrich the student's perspectives and introduce some of the important feature of philosophy and religion. / Philosophy and Religion is now merged into the Department of History, Political, Sciences, Philosophy, and Religion.