Philosophy, B.A.

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Minimum number of credits required to graduate: 124

Minimum cumulative GPA required to graduate: 2.0

Minimum number of credits to complete the major: 36

School: School of Arts and Sciences

Department: Philosophy

Learn more about the program

Philosophy courses strengthen your abilities to think, speak, and write critically, analytically, and creatively. By strengthening these skills, a major in Philosophy can prepare you for many career paths, including positions in law, politics, business, journalism, bioethics, environmental policy, the tech industry, education and more. Philosophy majors and minors often excel in advanced standardized tests such as the GRE, LSAT and GMAT, which improves the chance of getting into top graduate programs and law schools.

The major in Philosophy requires a minimum of nine courses (36 credits).

Major Requirements

The major in Philosophy requires a minimum of nine courses (36 credits). There are two tracks, the General Track and the Ethics and Political Track.

General Track

The General Track requires the completion of nine courses:

Any 1000 level PHL course
Two PHL courses in Ethics*
One course in History of Philosophy*
One PHL course in Knowledge or Reality*
PHL 4200 Special Topics in Philosophy
Three electives: One elective may be taken in another department, but should include philosophical content. See the list of Courses Outside Philosophy section below.

Ethics and Political Track

The Ethics and Political Track requires the completion of nine courses:

Any 1000 level Philosophy course
Choose two courses in Political Philosophy:
Two additional Philosophy (PHL) courses in Ethics
One Philosophy (PHL) course in the History of Philosophy
PHL 4200 Special Topics in Philosophy
Two electives: One elective may be taken in another department, but should include philosophical content. See list of Courses Outside Philosophy section below.

Courses Outside Philosophy

As noted in each track above, one elective course can be taken from outside of the Philosophy Department and can be chosen from the following:

ESS 1050 - Environmental Studies and Sustainability Gateway Credits: 4
MGT 3430 - Ethics and Social Responsibility Credits: 4
POL 2010 - Political Ethics Credits: 4
POL 2181 - American Political Thought Credits: 4
POL 2581 - Intro to Political Theory Credits: 4
POL 3152 - Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Credits: 4
RTS 2400 - Sex, Politics, Religion, and St. Augustine Credits: 4
RTS 2800 - Social Ethics: Christian Perspectives Credits: 4
RTS 2820 - Bioethics & Healthcare: Theological Approaches Credits: 4
RTS 2950 - Ethics in the Abrahamic Tradition Credits: 4
SOJ 1000 - Introduction to Social Justice (Theory & Practice) Credits: 4
WGS 3100 - Feminist Theories in Action Credits: 4
Students should speak to their advisor about other suitable courses.