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:
- Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- 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:
Select at least one of the following:
History and Traditions:
Select at least two of the following:
Value Theory:
Select at least two of the following:
Metaphysics and Epistemology:
Select at least two of the following:
Advanced Seminar:
Take at least one offering:
Remaining Major — 6 credits
Select at least two 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.
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.