Philosophy, BA

All programs

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy · 36 credits

Catalog page

Typical path

+ First Year Seminar

+ SBC ×2

+ Elective

+ First Year Seminar

+ SBC ×2

+ Elective

+ SBC

+ Elective ×2

+ PHI elective, 200-level or above

+ SBC

+ Elective ×2

+ PHI elective, 200-level or above

+ Elective

+ Upper-division SBC ×2

+ Upper-division elective ×4

+ SBC

+ Upper-division elective

+ Elective

+ PHI elective, 200-level or above

+ Upper-division elective

+ Elective

All options

Hide courses not offered in

Additional Philosophy coursework

Pick 21 credits · 82 courses to choose from

100s

200s

300s

400s

Logic course

PHI 108Logical and Critical Reasoning (II)3 cr
or
PHI 220Introduction to Symbolic Logic (II)3 cr

Catalog text

PHI 108 - Logical and Critical Reasoning (II) 3 credits OR PHI 220 - Introduction to Symbolic Logic (II) 3 credits (Students who expect to pursue graduate study in Philosophy should choose PHI 220)

Ancient and modern philosophy

PHI 300Ancient Philosophy (I)3 cr
PHI 306Modern Philosophy (I)3 cr

Catalog text

PHI 300 - Ancient Philosophy (I) 3 credits AND PHI 306 - Modern Philosophy (I) 3 credits

Junior Seminar

PHI 395Junior Seminar3 cr

Catalog text

PHI 395 - Junior Seminar 3 credits

Individual Systems of the Great Philosophers or Analysis of Philosophic Texts

PHI 401Individual Systems of the Great Philosophers (I)3 cr
or
PHI 402Analysis of Philosophic Texts (I)3 cr

Catalog text

PHI 401 - Individual Systems of the Great Philosophers (I) 3 credits OR PHI 402 - Analysis of Philosophic Texts (I) 3 credits

Additional Philosophy coursework

Choose 21 credits

PHI courses

Excluding courses already counted toward “Logic course”, “Ancient and modern philosophy”, “Junior Seminar”, “Individual Systems of the Great Philosophers or Analysis of Philosophic Texts”.

At most 2 courses from PHI courses numbered 100–199.

Catalog text

21 additional credits of Philosophy coursework. Note that no more than two 100-level philosophy courses may be used to satisfy major requirements.

Program-wide limit on 100-level philosophy courses

No more than two 100-level philosophy courses may be used to satisfy major requirements.

Catalog text

No more than two 100-level philosophy courses may be used to satisfy major requirements.

Sample schedule

Year 1 · Fall16 cr

First Year Seminar 1011
WRT 101Introductory Writing Workshop3
PHI 100Concepts of the Person (II)3
SBC3
SBC3
Elective3

Year 1 · Spring16 cr

First Year Seminar 1021
WRT 102Intermediate Writing Workshop3
PHI 116Philosophy of America's Founding3
SBC3
SBC3
Elective3

Year 2 · Fall15 cr

PHI 220Introduction to Symbolic Logic (II)3
PHI 264Philosophy and the Arts (III)3
SBC3
Elective3
Elective3

Year 2 · Spring15 cr

PHI elective, 200-level or above3
PHI 300Ancient Philosophy (I)3
SBC3
Elective3
Elective3

Year 3 · Fall15 cr

PHI elective, 200-level or above3
PHI 306Modern Philosophy (I)3
Elective3
Upper-division SBC3
Upper-division SBC3

Year 3 · Spring15 cr

PHI 395Junior Seminar3
Upper-division elective3
Upper-division elective3
Upper-division elective3
Upper-division elective3

Year 4 · Fall15 cr

PHI 368Philosophy of Science (III)3
PHI 401Individual Systems of the Great Philosophers (I)3
SBC3
Upper-division elective3
Elective3

Year 4 · Spring12 cr

PHI 372Ethical Inquiry (II)3
PHI elective, 200-level or above3
Upper-division elective3
Elective3

Program rules

Letter grades
Courses in “Logic course”, “Ancient and modern philosophy”, “Junior Seminar”, “Individual Systems of the Great Philosophers or Analysis of Philosophic Texts”, “Additional Philosophy coursework” must be taken for a letter grade.
Minimum grade
C or higher in “Logic course”, “Ancient and modern philosophy”, “Junior Seminar”, “Individual Systems of the Great Philosophers or Analysis of Philosophic Texts”, “Additional Philosophy coursework”.

Notes

Admission: The Honors program is not modeled. Students must be a junior or senior in the major with an overall GPA of at least 3.00 and a philosophy GPA of 3.50, plan a program with a faculty advisor and the director of undergraduate studies before the first semester of senior year, complete three 300-level or higher courses including PHI 495 (honors thesis), and pass an oral examination.
Advising: Undergraduate Research tracks are occasionally offered in Philosophy (seven courses over three years). Details are available from the Undergraduate Office. These tracks are not modeled.
Advising: Students who would like to study abroad for a semester should consult the director of undergraduate studies. With the Department's permission, Philosophy majors may use credits from other study abroad programs to satisfy major requirements. This is not modeled as a substitution.
Note: The major requires approximately 36 credits in total. Philosophy course descriptions are general and topics can vary between sections; see the department website for current details.
SBC: The SBC table lists optional major courses that can also satisfy SBC categories. These are per-course tags and are not modeled here.
Note: The sample sequence lists PHI 395 and PHI 459 together in one 3-credit slot; only PHI 395 is transcribed as a course slot.