Matthew Smith is a Philosophy professor at Northeastern University rated 3.77/5 by 266 students, with 3.18/5 difficulty and 83.0% who would take them again (TRACE + RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated July 2026).
Matthew Smith professor reviews and ratings: 3.77/5 from 266 student reviews at Northeastern (83.0% would take again). TRACE + RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
No clear instructions for the midterm exam (worth 15% of grade). Attendance is basically mandatory. There are no announcements on Canvas and doesn't reply to his emails. Decent lectures but gets sidetracked easily. A lot of reading...PHIL1160 2026-02-25 17:42:34 +0000 UTC
This rating pertains to PHIL 4535 (Philosophy of Mind). Professor Smith is the most dynamic lecturer and best professor I have had at Northeastern. The subject matter is extraordinarily interesting and challenging. This course is Smith's bread and butter. If you are looking for a course that will intellectually challenge you, look no further.PHIL1101 2024-11-06 20:45:13 +0000 UTC
very intense lecturer (in the best way), never a dull moment! near perfect syllabusPOLS2325 2024-04-20 13:44:56 +0000 UTC
I loved Professor Smith. He's great at engaging the class with concepts that are foreign to us. He makes sure that all students comprehend what he is saying since it's easy to get lost. The only thing about the class is that it demands long readings and the professor really can pinpoint if you did the reading or not.PHIL1106 2021-12-24 04:13:53 +0000 UTC
Prof Smith is too good. If you show up to class, he makes the lectures interesting and holds your interest in things you wouldn't think are interesting. If you do the work, then you'll get a good grade easily. The only thing he grades with some difficulty is the final essay.PHIL1102 2021-11-03 22:07:59 +0000 UTC
The professor basically loses it if you challenge him. The material is very shallow and he has attention deficit issues. There really seemed to be no point to this course or him being a professor...PHIL1160 2024-10-13 18:49:21 +0000 UTC
Mr. Smith is really high energy (too much for some people I talked to, but I enjoyed it) and class time is entirely devoted to group discussion about the reading. There were only like 5 things in the grade book for me at the end of the semester, but he was really generous with my grade on the midterm and final papers imo.PHIL1101 2019-01-29 01:16:34 +0000 UTC
Very nice. Give you credit at long as you tried.POLS2325 2023-07-04 23:11:51 +0000 UTC
Easy class all you have to do is show up and do the work and you'll get an A- or A. Subject of the class can be challenging but not the most interesting. Smith is a great dude and will be willing to help.PHIL1106 2021-12-20 20:25:45 +0000 UTC
Great lecturer, but sometimes gets off topic. We don't always go over all the material due to lack of time. It's easy to fall behind since you can get away not doing the reading. It's hard to follow every class because of heavy reading. A lot the grade is participation based, so it's not all too difficult until you have a paper or a presentation.PHIL1160 2023-11-01 16:35:41 +0000 UTC
Smith is the dude! Very funny and keeps a really open and engaging class discussion. Attendance not mandatory but he does NOT like it when people dont show up. Readings are gone over in the lecture, papers are kinda weird but just go to office hours hes super helpful 1on1. Scatterbrained is a good word but hes super excitable and passionate!PHIL1101 2018-11-23 10:46:46 +0000 UTC
Prof. Smith is a great professor who is clearly very interested in the material. He is a genuinely nice guy and his lectures though long, are not boring. There is a decent amount of written work but the key is to read everything thoroughly and participate in class. If you do that the other assignments should be a breeze.POLS2325 2021-01-26 20:35:49 +0000 UTC
Smith puts a lot of energy into the class and tries his best to keep students involved. He doesnt require much of the students except weekly discussion posts based on readings. Nothing is really academically challenging until the final paper. Had an experience where he basically yelled at me for not understanding what was saying but its okPHIL1106 2021-12-06 19:13:18 +0000 UTC
Prof. Smith is a funny guy and explains broad philosophical concepts in a way that is digestible as well as entertaining. However, when you challenge him he will challenge you right back so that isn't always comfortable but his intent is to help you learn. He's a tough essay grader, but eager to help. Overall attendance isn't really important.PHIL1160 2023-09-07 12:18:15 +0000 UTC
Matthew Smith is a funny guy and a decent professor. The class is conversation based instead of lecture based which is a good way to approach philosophy. He's a little scatter brained but he was good at making you think. The readings were also interesting for the most part and very diverse, so you get exposed to lots of different ideas.PHIL1101 2018-04-28 20:24:00 +0000 UTC
Matthew Smith has an average rating of 3.77/5 from 266 student reviews. 83.0% of students said they would take them again.
Matthew Smith's classes have a difficulty rating of 3.18/5 based on student reviews.
Matthew Smith has taught PHIL5002, PHIL2325, POLS2325, PHIL1160, PHIL4535, PHIL2303, HONR3310, PHIL1106, PHIL3343, PHIL3435, POLS2332, PHIL3000, PHIL1101 at Northeastern.
Data updated July 2026.