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Philosophy Major

In addition to adhering to General Education and School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Requirements, the Philosophy major requires at least 45 units (some of which simultaneously meet general education requirements). Courses in the major must be taken for a letter grade, and specifically may not be taken on a pass/no pass basis unless the course is only offered on a pass/no pass basis.

Lower Division Major Requirements [12 units]
Introductory Requirement [8 units]
Complete two of the following courses:

  • PHIL 001: Introduction to Philosophy [4 units]
  • PHIL 002: Introduction to Ethics [4 units]
  • PHIL 003: Contemporary Moral Problems [4 units]
  • PHIL 008: Love, Sex, and Gender [4 units]
  • PHIL 009: Phenomenology and Existentialism [4 units]

Reasoning Requirement [4 units]
Complete one of the following courses:

  • PHIL 004: Critical Reasoning [4 units]
  • PHIL 005: Introduction to Logic [4 units]

Upper Division Major Requirements [33 units]
History Requirement [8 units]
Complete two of the following courses:

  • PHIL 130: Ancient Philosophy [4 units]
  • PHIL 131: Topics in Ancient Philosophy [4 units]
  • PHIL 134: Modern Philosophy [4 units]
  • PHIL 137: Topics in 19th Century Philosophy [4 units]
  • PHIL 138: 20th Century Analytic [4 units]

Core Areas Requirement [8 units]
Complete two of the following courses:

  • PHIL 101: Metaphysics [4 units]
  • PHIL 102: Epistemology [4 units]
  • PHIL 103: Philosophy of Mind [4 units]
  • PHIL 104: Ethical Theory [4 units]
  • PHIL 105: Philosophy of Language [4 units]
  • PHIL 106: Philosophy of Science [4 units]
  • PHIL 107: Philosophy of Religion [4 units]
  • PHIL 108: Political Philosophy [4 units]

Applications Requirement [8 units]
Complete two of the following courses:

  • PHIL 109: Philosophy of Law [4 units]
  • PHIL 110/COGS 110: Philosophy of Cognitive Science [4 units]
  • PHIL 111: Philosophy of Neuroscience [4 units]
  • PHIL 119: Topics in Philosophy of Science [4 units]
  • PHIL 141/ENG 121: Topics in Continental Philosophy [4 units]
  • PHIL 150: Topics in Phenomenology [4 units]
  • PHIL 157: Philosophy of Love and Friendship [4 units]
  • PHIL 160/MATH 171: Mathematical Logic [4 units]
  • PHIL 170: Philosophy, Politics, and Economics [4 units]
  • PHIL 171/COGS 160: Free Will in Philosophy and Cognitive Science [4 units]
  • PHIL 172/COGS 161: Experimental Philosophy [4 units]
  • PHIL 173/COGS 177: Consciousness [4 units]
  • ENG 118: Literature and Philosophy [4 units]

Senior Philosophy Assessment [1 unit]
Complete the following course:

  • PHIL 191: Senior Philosophy [1 unit]

Transfer Students

Transfer students who wish to major in Philosophy should complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) at their community college. Transfer students may not be admitted to the Philosophy major without specific major preparation. Below is the current Transfer Selection Criteria for the Philosophy Major.

Transfer Selection Criteria
To be admitted to the Philosophy major transfer students must meet the following requirements:
Applicants will, at the time of admission have completed at minimum each of the following courses (or their equivalent) with a C- or better:

  • PHIL 001: Introduction to Philosophy [4 units]
  • PHIL 004: Critical Reasoning [4 units] or PHIL 005: Introduction to Logic [4 units]