Degree Requirements
Philosophy Course Requirements (33 hours)
History of Philosophy (6 hours)
- PHIL 300 - Classical Greek Philosophy
- PHIL 304 - Eighteenth Century Philosophy or PHIL 307 - Seventeenth Century Philosophy
Area Requirements (12 hours, one course from each of the following areas)
Metaphysics and Epistemology
- PHIL 310 – Theories of Knowledge
- PHIL 312 – Philosophical Logic
- PHIL 330 – Metaphysics
- PHIL 345 – Women, Knowledge, and Reality
- PHIL 350 – Philosophy of Mind
- PHIL 355 – Philosophy of Language
- PHIL 497 - Topics in Metaphysics and Epistemology
Value Theory
- PHIL 222 – Environmental Ethics
- PHIL 225 – Contemporary Moral Issues
- PHIL 320 – Ethics
- PHIL 321 – Ethics in the Medical Community
- PHIL 323 – Engineering, Ethics, and Professionalism
- PHIL 340 – Social and Political Philosophy
- PHIL 343 – Philosophy of Law
- PHIL 344 – Women and Values
- PHIL 346 – Feminist Theory
- PHIL 440 – Classical Political Theory
- PHIL 441 – Modern Political Theory
- PHIL 496 – Topics in Ethics
Cultural Pluralism
- PHIL 233 – Philosophies and Diverse Cultures
- PHIL 234 – World Religions
- PHIL 335 – Islamic Thought
- PHIL 337 – American Indian Thought
- PHIL 344 – Women and Values
- PHIL 345 – Women, Knowledge, and Reality
- PHIL 347 – Philosophy of Race
Religion
- PHIL 231 – Philosophy, Science and Religion
- PHIL 234 – World Religions
- PHIL 333 – Philosophy of Religion
- PHIL 335 – Islamic Thought
- PHIL 336 – Christian Thought
- PHIL 337 – American Indian Thought
PHIL 480 – Senior Assignment (3 hours)
PHIL 490 – Philosophy Seminar (3 hours)
Philosophy Electives (9 hours)
Any course listed above and not used for another requirement may be used as a philosophy elective. In addition, any course listed below may be used as a philosophy elective.
- PHIL 111 - Introduction to Philosophy
- PHIL 212 - Inductive Logic
- PHIL 213 - Deductive Logic
- PHIL 226 - Philosophy and Film
- PHIL 228 - Philosophy and Literature
- PHIL 235 - Existentialism
- PHIL 242 - Philosophy of Technology
- PHIL 301 - Medieval Western Philosophy
- PHIL 302 - Hellenistic Philosophy
- PHIL 303 - Nineteenth Century Western Philosophy
- PHIL 308 - Twentieth Century European Philosophy
- PHIL 314 - Philosophy of Science
- PHIL 316 - Philosophy of Biology
- PHIL 348 - Law and Society
- PHIL 495 - Independent Readings
- PHIL 498 - Legal Theory
A grade of C or above must be earned in all philosophy courses to count toward the required 33 hours.
Other Program Requirements
Minor (18-24 hours)
Bachelor of Arts
- 8 hours foreign language
- 6 additional courses (18 hours) in humanities or fine and performing arts (may include philosophy courses)
- Additional electives (20-26 hours)
Bachelor of Science
- Second lab experience
- 8 courses (24 hours) in life, physical or social sciences
- Additional electives (12-18 hours)
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy with Law Specialization
To complete a BA in philosophy with a law specialization, all the requirements for a standard BA in philosophy must be satisfied (including 33 required credit hours with a C or better, a minor and 8 hours of foreign language). Because the law specialization includes a foreign language requirement, only the BA (and not the BS) has a law specialization option. The standard BA requirements include a history of philosophy sequence (six hours), PHIL 480 (three hours) and PHIL 490 (three hours), 12 hours selected from four subject areas, and nine hours of PHIL electives. The requirements for the law specialization include nine hours of required courses (six of which replace electives and three of which may be applied to the value theory area), three hours from a new subject area in political and legal theory (replaces the remaining elective), and three hours in the metaphysics and epistemology area that must be satisfied by selecting one of two courses in that area.
For the law specialization, courses selected to satisfy the requirements for the standard BA in philosophy must include the following 15 hours:
Required Courses (9 hours)
- PHIL 213 - Deductive Logic
- PHIL 343 - Philosophy of Law (same as POLS 391)
- PHIL 320 - Ethics (satisfies Value Theory area)
Political and Legal Theory Area (3 hours)
- PHIL 340 - Social and Political Philosophy
- PHIL 440 - Classical Political Theory (same as POLS 484)
- PHIL 441 - Modern Political Theory (same as POLS 485)
- PHIL 498 - Legal Theory (same as POLS 498)
Metaphysics and Epistemology Area (3 hours)
- PHIL 310 - Theories of Knowledge
- PHIL 355 - Philosophy of Language
Minor (18-24 hours)
As with the standard philosophy BA, the law specialization requires a minor. Students completing the BA in philosophy with a law specialization will have satisfied coursework in two of the five areas of the pre-law minor (PHIL 213 satisfies the critical thinking requirement; PHIL 343 satisfies the theory and application of law requirement), and will need to complete five additional courses outside of philosophy to complete the pre-law minor. See the pre-law section of the undergraduate academic catalog for details. The following are also excellent choices for a minor or a second major, since they are areas of study that help develop skills needed for success in law school, and, accordingly, are correlated with high law school acceptance rates/high LSAT scores:
- English
- Economics
- History
- Political Science
Foreign Language
It is recommended that students satisfy the eight hours of foreign language required for the BA with Latin 101 and Latin 102.
Retention and Academic Standards
Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0.
General Education Requirements (35 hours)
University general education requirements are outlined in the general education section of the undergraduate academic catalog and included in the sample curriculum outlines. Some general education requirements may be satisfied while completing this major.
