The Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

Total Course Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree: 120 units

See "Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree" in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 40 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.

A suggested Major Academic Plan (MAP) has been prepared to help students meet all graduation requirements within four years. Please request a plan from your major advisor or view it and other current advising information on the CSU, Chico Web.

General Education Requirements: 48 units

See "General Education Requirements" in the University Catalog and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Requirements and course offerings. The course requirements marked below with an asterisk (*) may also be applied toward General Education.

Cultural Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units

See "Cultural Diversity" in the University Catalog. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education.

American Institutions Requirement: 6 units

See the "American Institutions Requirement" under "Bachelor's Degree Requirements." This requirement is normally fulfilled by completing HIST 130 and POLS 155. Courses used to satisfy this requirement do not apply to General Education.

Literacy Requirement:

See "Mathematics and Writing Requirements" in the University Catalog. Writing proficiency in the major is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of a course in your major which has been designated as the Writing Proficiency (WP) course for the semester in which you take the course. Students who earn below a C- are required to repeat the course and earn a C- or better to receive WP credit. See the Class Schedule for the designated WP courses for each semester. You must pass ENGL 130 (or its equivalent) with a C- or better before you may register for a WP course.

Course Requirements for the Major: 33-42 units

The following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, are required of all candidates for this degree.

Major Core Program: 21 units

7 courses required:

PHIL 201 History of Ancient Philosophy 3.0 FS *
PHIL 302 History of Modern Philosophy 3.0 FA

It is strongly recommended, but not required, that the above courses be taken in sequence.

PHIL 108 Philosophical Methods 3.0 FA
PHIL 320 Ethics 3.0 SP
PHIL 340 Social/Political Philosophy 3.0 FS
PHIL 360 Knowledge Theory: Epistemology 3.0 FA
PHIL 361 Metaphysics 3.0 SP

Major Option Course Requirements: 12-21 units

The following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, are required dependent upon the option chosen. Students must select one of the following options for completion of the major course requirements.

The General Option: 12 units

3 courses required:

PHIL 303 History 19th Cent Philosophy 3.0 FS
PHIL 304 Analytic Philosophy 3.0 SP
PHIL 305 Continental Philosophy 3.0 FA

1 course selected from:

PHIL 333 Contemporary Moral Theory 3.0 FA WP
Prerequisites: PHIL 320 or PHIL 321; ENGL 130 (or its equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher.
PHIL 421 Sem: Special Issues Soc Phil 3.0 SP WP
Prerequisites: ENGL 130 (or its equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher.
PHIL 499H Senior Honors Research Paper 3.0 FS WP
Prerequisites: ENGL 130 (or its equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher, acceptance into Honors in Philosophy, faculty permission.

The Pre-Graduate School Option: 21 units

Those students majoring in philosophy who plan to enter graduate programs in philosophy should consider the Pre-Graduate School Option.

3 courses required:

PHIL 304 Analytic Philosophy 3.0 SP
PHIL 305 Continental Philosophy 3.0 FA
PHIL 380 Intermediate Logic 3.0 FA

3 courses selected from:

PHIL 202 Philosophy: East and West 3.0 FS * NW
PHIL 303 History 19th Cent Philosophy 3.0 FS
PHIL 306 American Philosophy 3.0 FS *
PHIL 362 Philosophy of Mind 3.0 Inq
PHIL 370 Philosophy of Science 3.0 FS *
PHIL 480 Advanced Logic 3.0 SP
Prerequisites: PHIL 380, faculty permission.
PHIL 499H Senior Honors Research Paper 3.0 FS WP
Prerequisites: ENGL 130 (or its equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher, acceptance into Honors in Philosophy, faculty permission.

1 course selected from:

PHIL 333 Contemporary Moral Theory 3.0 FA WP
Prerequisites: PHIL 320 or PHIL 321; ENGL 130 (or its equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher.
PHIL 421 Sem: Special Issues Soc Phil 3.0 SP WP
Prerequisites: ENGL 130 (or its equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher.
PHIL 499H Senior Honors Research Paper 3.0 FS WP
Prerequisites: ENGL 130 (or its equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher, acceptance into Honors in Philosophy, faculty permission.

Philosophy and Law Advising Cluster

Those students majoring in philosophy who plan to enter law school should consider, as part of or in addition to the regular degree requirements for either option in the BA in Philosophy, the following cluster of courses. See the Undergraduate Advisor for additional information.

PHIL 304 Analytic Philosophy 3.0 SP
PHIL 332 Criminal Justice Ethics 3.0 FS
PHIL 380 Intermediate Logic 3.0 FA
PHIL 438 Jurisprudence/Phil of Law 3.0 FA

This course is also offered as POLS 438.

POLS 451B Civil Rights/Civil Liberties 3.0 FS

This course is also offered as MCGS 451B.

POLS 456 Legal Analysis 3.0 FS

Note: Enrollment in POLS 451B and POLS 456 must be concurrent for the purposes of satisfying the requirements of the Philosophy and Law advising cluster.

Electives Requirement:

To complete the total units required for the bachelor's degree, select additional elective courses from the total University offerings. You should consult with an advisor regarding the selection of courses which will provide breadth to your University experience and possibly apply to a supportive second major or minor.

Grading Requirement:

All courses taken to fulfill major course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as Credit/No Credit grading only.

Advising Requirement:

Advising is mandatory for all majors in this degree program. Consult your undergraduate advisor for specific information.

Honors in the Major

Honors in the Major is a program of independent work in your major. It involves 6 units of honors course work completed over two semesters.

The Honors in the Major program allows you to work closely with a faculty mentor in your area of interest on an original performance or research project. This year-long collaboration allows you to work in your field at a professional level and culminates in a public presentation of your work. Students sometimes take their projects beyond the University for submission in professional journals, presentation at conferences, or competition in shows. Such experience is valuable for graduate school and later professional life. Your honors work will be recognized at your graduation, on your permanent transcripts, and on your diploma. It is often accompanied by letters of commendation from your mentor in the department or the department chair.

Some common features of Honors in the Major program are

1. You must take 6 units of Honors in the Major course work. At least 3 of these units are independent study (399H, 499H) as specified by your department. You must complete each class with a minimum grade of B.

2. You must have completed 9 units of upper-division course work or 21 overall units in your major before you can be admitted to Honors in the Major. Check the requirements for your major carefully, as there may be specific courses that must be included in these units.

3. Your cumulative GPA should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.

4. Your GPA in your major should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.

5. Most students apply for or are invited to participate in Honors in the Major during the second semester of their junior year. Then they complete the 6 units of course work over the two semesters of their senior year.

6. Your honors work culminates with a public presentation of your honors project.

While Honors in the Major is part of the Honors Program, each department administers its own program. Please contact your major department or major advisor to apply.

Honors in Philosophy:

To graduate with Honors in Philosophy a student must: 1. Fulfill all requirements for a major in Philosophy. 2. Write a Senior Honors Thesis. (See PHIL 499H) 3. Achieve a grade point average of at least 3.66 in those courses taken to fulfill the requirements for the major and PHIL 499H. 4. Pass satisfactorily an oral examination on the thesis.