2021 Major

Students enrolling in this major complete at least 12 units of philosophy courses in total, distributed as follows:

1. Four units in “Historical and Cultural Perspectives,” including:

2. One unit in “Logic and Writing” (either PH122 or PH226).

3. Three 1-unit capstone courses (PH452, PH475, and PH476).

4. At least two units at the 300-level. This requirement may be satisfied in tandem with the “Historical and Cultural Perspectives” requirements.

Students may choose to complete, in addition, a major with emphasis.  See below for details.

Download the current Philosophy major checklist.

Pre-2021 Major

1. Four units in “history of philosophy,” which include one of these sets of courses:

The remaining history of philosophy courses are chosen from the following: PH101, PH116, PH201, PH204, PH210, PH244, PH245, PH260, PH281, PH283, PH301, and PH302; and from PH203, PH303, and PH314 when topically appropriate.

1. One unit from each of these three categories:

3. Two units in “diversity in philosophy” (PH243, PH280, PH281, PH282, PH283, PH284, PH285, and from PH203 and PH303 when topically appropriate). These courses may fulfill more than one requirement.

4. Three capstone courses (PH452, PH475, and PH476).

5. At least one unit at the 300-level.

Students may choose to complete, in addition, a major with emphasis.  See below for details.

Download the Pre-2021 Philosophy major checklist HERE.

Philosophy Major with Emphasis

Students may complete the Philosophy major with a special emphasis in one of these areas:

A Philosophy major with emphasis requires:

1. Completing the requirements for a regular 12-unit major in Philosophy.
2. Completing at least two additional units of Philosophy in the area chosen (for a total of at least 14 units of Philosophy); and
3. Writing a senior essay in that area.

Upon graduation, a major with emphasis diploma with be granted in, for example, "Philosophy: History of Philosophy," "Philosophy: Comparative Philosophy," and so on.  A major with emphasis allows students to develop depth in an area that greatly interests them, and it may be of value if students aspire to pursuing advanced graduate studies in that specialized area or a related one.

A list of the courses relevant to each area of emphasis is available HERE.  A list of relevant topics courses will be available soon.  To declare a Philosophy with emphasis, see below.

Philosophy Minor

As with the regular Philosophy major, current Philosophy minors, if they matriculated before the fall of 2021, have the option of enrolling in one of two minor programs, labeled below as the "2021 Minor" and the "Pre-2021 Minor."  Student who matriculated in the fall of 2021 or afterwards may only enroll in the "2021 Minor."

2021 Minor

Students enrolling in this minor complete at least 6 units of Philosophy courses in total, distributed as follows:

1. One ancient Greco-Roman or modern European or American course (PH101, PH116, PH201, PH204, PH244, PH245, PH260, PH301, or PH302; or PH203, PH303, or PH314 when topically appropriate),

2. One non-Western or critical Western course (PH243, PH280, PH281, PH282, PH283, PH284, or PH285; or PH203, PH303, or PH314 when topically appropriate): and

3. One unit at the 300- or 400-level.

Pre-2021 Minor

Students enrolling in this minor complete at least 6 units of Philosophy courses in total, distributed as follows:

Social & Political Philosophy Minor

In addition to the regular Philosophy minor, the department offers a specialized minor in Social & Political Philosophy.  Students enrolling in this minor complete at least 6 units of Philosophy courses in total, distributed as follows:

1. Two units in the history of social and political philosophy (PH244 and PH245);
2. Two units of advanced work in social and political philosophy (PH341, PH342, and when topically appropriate PH303 or PH342); and
3. Two additional units of Philosophy from among the following: PH140, PH243, PH246, PH 260, PH282, PH285, or PH340).

How to Declare a Major or Minor

When declaring a major or minor students should do the following:

• First, seek out an advisor in the department - ask the professor that you would like to work with to be your advisor.
• Second, work through your transcript with that professor, filling out the Registrar's Office online Major Declaration Form, and if they agree, listing them as your advisor.
• Third, submit the form online; then the Registrar will send the completed form to your Philosophy advisor and to the Philosophy Department Chair for their approval.
• Fourth, celebrate - you will be in good company now!

When declaring a minor, follow the same steps but complete the Registrar's Office online Minor Declaration Form.

To enroll in a major with emphasis when first declaring a major in Philosophy, complete the Registrar's major declaration form online, indicating the relevant major with emphasis.  Students who have already declared the regular Philosophy major should download, complete, and return to the department chair the Declaration of Emphasis in Philosophy form.  In that latter case, the department will make arrangements with the Registrar to update the student's transcript to reflect the major with emphasis.

Finally, as a courtesy, be sure to let any previous advisor know if you are changing a major or advisor, or adding a minor and minor advisor.