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Philosophy B.A.

Program Overview

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Location: McKee 318

Email: HSS@unco.edu

Website: www.unco.edu/hss/philosophy

Advising Information:

Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.

To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.

The program consists of three parts:

  1. Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
  2. Required Major Credits
  3. University-Wide Credits

Program Description:

The major in philosophy is designed to provide both a solid undergraduate education in philosophy and a foundation for the further study of philosophy at the graduate level. It is an excellent major not only for students interested in philosophy itself but also for pre-professional students–especially, perhaps, for those who intend to study the law. Students may want to consider a double major because of the ways the study of philosophy can enhance one's ability to investigate fundamental issues in other fields.

Program Admission Requirements:

Academic Good Standing

Program Requirements:

  • No more than 6 credits of PHIL 492 may be counted toward the major.
  • At least 9 credit hours must be taken at the upper division (300 or 400).

Note that PHIL 225, PHIL 300, PHIL 365, PHIL 371, and PHIL 495 are variable title courses which may be repeated multiple times under different content and each offering may be counted toward the major.

Program Recommendations:

  • Majors are encouraged to take at least two years of a foreign language.
  • Students planning to pursue graduate study in philosophy are encouraged to take at least one semester of Formal Logic (PHIL 321 or PHIL 322), to take PHIL 385 and PHIL 390 to fulfill the Metaphysics & Epistemology category, and to complete the Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy minor as well as the major. Since graduate program admission requirements vary considerably, students should discuss graduate school plans with an advisor as early as possible.

Degree Requirements — 120 Credits

1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 Credits

To complete the degree in 120 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that also count toward the 30 required major credits.

Any additional LAC coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.

Written Communication — 6 credits

Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.

See Written Communication courses

Mathematics — 3 credits

Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.

See Mathematics courses

Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies, and International Studies — 15 credits

To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.

PHIL 126 is recommended to fulfill the Arts and Humanities and the International Studies requirements and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.

PHIL 150 is recommended to fulfill the Arts and Humanities requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.

PHIL 221 is recommended to fulfill the Arts and Humanities requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.

See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses

Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits

Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.

See Natural & Physical Sciences courses

See Liberal Arts Curriculum

2. Required Major — 30 credits

Logic and Methods

Choose at least 1 of the following:

PHIL 221Basic LogicLAA3

3
PHIL 321Formal Logic I

3
PHIL 322Formal Logic II

3

History and Traditions

Choose at least 2 of the following:

PHIL 231Ancient Greek Philosophy

3
PHIL 232Medieval Western Philosophy

3
PHIL 233Modern Western Philosophy

3
PHIL 246Early Chinese Philosophy

3

Value Theory

Choose at least 2 of the following:

PHIL 250Medical EthicsLAA3

3
PHIL 311Environmental Ethics

3
PHIL 350Ethical Theory

3
PHIL 355Social and Political Philosophy

3
PHIL 365Topics in Value Theory and Public Policy

3
PHIL 366Philosophy of Law

3

Metaphysics and Epistemology

Choose at least 2 of the following:

PHIL 270Philosophy of ReligionLAA3

3
PHIL 280Philosophy of ScienceLAA3

3
PHIL 371Topics in Metaphysics and Epistemology

3
PHIL 372Philosophy of Race

3
PHIL 375Science Fiction and Philosophy

3
PHIL 385Epistemology

3
PHIL 390Metaphysics

3

Advanced Seminar

Take at least 1 offering:

PHIL 495Advanced Seminar

3

Remaining Major — 6 credits

Select at least 2 additional courses in order to bring the total number of PHIL credits to at least 30. These may include courses from any of the lists above that have not already been used to fulfill specific area requirements, or from any of the additional courses below.

PHIL 100Introduction to PhilosophyLAA3

3
PHIL 126Introduction to Global PhilosophiesLAA3LAIS

3
PHIL 150Moral IssuesLAA3

3
PHIL 225Philosophical Figures

3
PHIL 300Topics in Philosophy

3
PHIL 360Feminist Theories

3
PHIL 422Directed Study

1- 3
PHIL 492Internship

1- 6

3. University-Wide Credits — 59 credits*

Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for this degree at UNC; for this degree, that will typically be 59 credits.

*Note: Students who apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum and the major requirements will have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree. See your advisor for details.

Four Year Plan

This four year plan is a recommended schedule to complete this bachelor's degree in 4 years. Courses are subject to availability. Students must consult with their major advisor to receive information on any additional graduation requirements and course sequence guidance. 

Year 1 – 30 credits

Fall Semester

Liberal Arts Curriculum

3
Liberal Arts Curriculum

3
University-Wide Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
Choose one of the following courses:
PHIL 100Introduction to PhilosophyLAA3

3
PHIL 126Introduction to Global PhilosophiesLAA3LAIS

3
PHIL 150Moral IssuesLAA3

3
PHIL 225Philosophical Figures

3
Total Credit Hours:15

Spring Semester

Liberal Arts Curriculum

3
Liberal Arts Curriculum

3
University-Wide Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
Total Credit Hours:15

Year 2 – 30 credits

Fall Semester

Major Elective

3
Major Elective

3
Liberal Arts Curriculum

3
Liberal Arts Curriculum

3
University-Wide Elective

3
Total Credit Hours:15

Spring Semester

Major Elective

3
Major Elective

3
Liberal Arts Curriculum

4
University-Wide Elective

2
University-Wide Elective

3
Total Credit Hours:15

Year 3 – 30 credits

Fall Semester

Major Elective

3
Liberal Arts Curriculum

3
Liberal Arts Curriculum

3
University-Wide Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
Total Credit Hours:15

Spring Semester

Major Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
Total Credit Hours:15

Year 4 – 30 credits

Fall Semester

Upper Division Major Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
Total Credit Hours:15

Spring Semester

PHIL 495Advanced Seminar

3
Upper Division Major Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
Total Credit Hours:15

Advising Notes –

  1. The major requires 10 courses: 1 course in Logic and Methods, 2 courses in History and Traditions, 2 courses in Value Theory, 2 courses in Metaphysics and Epistemology, the Advanced Seminar, and 2 electives (which may come from any category).
  2. Courses in Logic and Methods include PHIL 221, PHIL 321, and PHIL 322.
  3.  History and Traditions courses include PHIL 231, PHIL 232, PHIL 233, and PHIL 246.
  4. Courses in Value Theory include PHIL 250, PHIL 311, PHIL 350, PHIL 355, PHIL 365, and PHIL 366.
  5. Metaphysics and Epistemology courses include PHIL 270, PHIL 280, PHIL 371, PHIL 372, PHIL 373, PHIL 375, PHIL 385, and PHIL 390.
  6. PHIL 495 is a variable title course offered every spring and occasionally in the fall as well. It is typically taken in your final year but may be taken sooner if you are interested in the topic being offered in an earlier term. It may also be taken more than once, provided that it is taken under different titles. Each title after the first counts as an elective toward the degree.
  7. Students have the opportunity to tailor their degree to specific interests via non-scheduled sections of PHIL 422 or PHIL 492. Both of these courses contribute elective credits toward the major.

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