Earn your BA in Philosophy

The following guidelines are offered to assist philosophy students in planning their curriculum. The philosophy undergraduate advisors are also available to help students at any time.

Model plans of study

The coursework for the philosophy major (30 credit hours) is as follows.

Model plans of study

A student may take up to two 1000-level courses to count toward the major. A student is not required to take any 1000-level courses for the major, but a 1000-level course often serves as an important introduction that helps a student to determine which particular topics they might want to pursue at a more advanced level. All of these 1000-level courses also meet university general education requirements.

Our 1000-level courses
Course numberCourse title
1033The Meaning of Life
1034Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
1401Matters of Life and Death
1636Principles of Reasoning
1861Introduction to Philosophy

The philosophy major requires a course in ancient philosophy and a course in early modern philosophy. It is suggested that these courses be taken in the student’s second or third year, as they are foundational and help to set up material that is encountered in later courses. 

Students are required to take two courses in the history of philosophy:

  • PHIL 2111 Ancient Philosophy
  • As well as one of the following:
    • PHIL 2214 Seventeenth-Century Philosophy,
    • PHIL 2215 Modern Philosophy,
    • PHIL 2216 Eighteenth-Century Philosophy

Students are required to take at least two courses in this category.

Value theory courses
Course numberCourse title
2402Intro to Ethics
2415Bioethics
2422Feminist Ethics
2429War, Terroism, and Torture
2432Intro to Political Philosophy
2435Philosophy of Law
2436The Nature of Evil
3430Philosophy of Human Rights
3431Aesthetics
3342Multiculturalism and Toleration
3510Neuroethics
3845Buddhist Philosophy
3847Philosophical Issues (if content is applicable; check with instructor)
4152  Plato (if content is applicable; check with instructor)
4153Aristotle (if content is applicable; check with instructor)
4375Rawls's Moral and Political Philosophy
4480Analytic Ethics
4481     Issues of Philosophy of Law
4482History of Ethics
4485Political Philosophy
4798Topics in Philosophy (if content is applicable; check with instructor)
The following may be taken by undergraduates only with permission of instructor:
4920Research Practicum (if content is applicable; check with instructor)
6100Seminar: Ancient Philosophy (if content is applicable; check with instructor)
6200Seminar: Modern Philosophy (if content is applicable; check with instructor)
6300Seminar: Philosophical Analysis (if content is applicable; check with instructor)
6400Seminar: Ethics

Students are required to take at least two courses in this category.

Metaphysics and epistemology courses
Course numberCourse name
2343     Philosophy East and West
2437Intro to Metaphysics
2442Knowledge and the Threat of Skepticism
2480Language and Its Social Roles
2534Philosophy of Religion
2538Minds and Machines
2542Minds and Brains
3002Ancient Skepticism
3112Medieval Philosophy
3318Twentieth-Century Philosophy
3604Intro to Philosophy of Science
3633Philosophy of History
3847Philosophical Issues (if content is applicable; check with instructor)
3849Undergraduate Seminar in Philosophy (if content is applicable; check with instructor)
4050Topics in Buddhist Philosophy
4152Plato (if content is applicable; check with instructor)
4153Aristotle (if content is applicable; check with instructor)
4258Descartes
4260Spinoza and Leibniz
4263Berkeley and Hume
4266Kant
4346Frege and Russell
4373Heidegger
4377Wittgenstein
4379Quine
4586Topics in Metaphysics
4587Epistemology
4588Philosophy of Mind
4589Philosophy of Language
4590Foundations of Cognitive Science
4694Philosophy of Science
4696Philosophy of the Human Sciences
4798Topics in Philosophy (if content is applicable; check with instructor)
The following may be taken by undergraduates only with permission of the instructor:
4920Philosophy Practicum (if content is applicable; check with instructor)
6100Seminar: Ancient Philosophy (if content is applicable; check with instructor)
6200Seminar: Modern Philosophy (if content is applicable; check with instructor)
6300Seminar: Philosophical Analysis (if content is applicable; check with instructor)
6510Seminar: Metaphysics
6520Seminar: Epistemology
6540Seminar: Philosophy of Language
6620Seminar: Philosophy of Science

A student also needs to complete PHIL:2603 Introduction to Symbolic Logic. This should be done in the second or third year, or in the first semester of the fourth.

Of the 10 total courses for the major, two must be at the 4000-level or above.

Note: Only 3 semester hours of PHIL:4920 Research Practicum may be counted as a 4000-level course towards the major and towards an area requirement.

The remainder of courses for the major can be satisfied with electives, anything at the 2000-level or above. 

These two courses can be among the courses that a student is already taking in the metaphysics/epistemology or value theory categories, or they might just be elective courses that remain after a student has completed all other requirements. Students in their senior year, especially those considering law school, graduate school, or other professional schools, are strongly encouraged to take a 6000-level seminar to meet the 4000-level or above requirement.

Note that our higher-level courses do not have official pre-requisites, but in many cases they are more advanced versions of courses that appear at the 2000- or 3000-level. For example, there are 2000- and 3000-level courses in metaphysics (2437), knowledge and skepticism (2442, 3005), philosophy of mind (2538, 2542), ethical theory (2402) political philosophy (2432), philosophy of law (2435), and multiculturalism (3342), and there are 4000-level courses that involve a more intensive discussion of the same or similar topics. Any student is strongly advised to take a 2000-level course on a given topic before taking the more advanced 4000-level analogue. As always, the philosophy undergraduate advisors are happy to meet with students to help to plan any such aspects of their schedule.

Create your academic path

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Current course list

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