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Philosophy, B.A.

Requirements

Interest in studying philosophy begins with the desire to engage life’s greatest questions: finding the meaning of human existence, making sense of reality and our place in the cosmos, giving systematic form to our ethical and political intuitions, explaining the history of human ideas, and other equally significant problems. Often students wonder how the study of philosophy can provide the foundation for successful and meaningful employment. Contrary to popular belief, a philosophy major is one of the best preparations possible for careers in a large number of different areas. An article in the London Times rightly called philosophy the "ultimate 'transferable work skill'" insofar as it prepares students for a wide array of practical services. As a group, philosophy majors consistently score at or near the top on standardized tests, gain employment on graduation at higher than average rates, rank highly in median mid-career salary, and enjoy a well-earned reputation for rigorous thinking. In fact, the Association of American Colleges and Universities tells students, “[y]our specific choice of major matters far less than the knowledge and skills you gain through all your studies and experiences in college. In terms of jobs, employers don’t hire majors. They hire individuals with potential to succeed over the long term and add value to their companies or organizations.” The study of philosophy, one of the oldest and most rigorous disciplines, provides students with critical thinking, writing, and arguing skills necessary to succeed in today’s competitive working environments.

Total Program Credits: 120

General Education Requirements: 35 Credits
  ENGL 1010 Introduction to Academic Writing CC 3
or ENGH 1005 Literacies and Composition Across Contexts CC (5)  
  ENGL 2010 Intermediate Academic Writing CC 3
Complete one of the following: 3
  MAT 1030 Quantitative Reasoning QL (3) (recommended for Humanities or Arts majors)  
  MAT 1035 Quantitative Reasoning with Integrated Algebra QL (6)  
  STAT 1040 Introduction to Statistics QL (3) (recommended for Social Science majors)  
  STAT 1045 Introduction to Statistics with Algebra QL (5)  
  MATH 1050 College Algebra QL (4) (recommended for Business, Education, Science, and Health Professions majors)  
  MATH 1055 College Algebra with Preliminaries QL (5)   
  MATH 1090 College Algebra for Business QL (3) (recommended for Business majors)  
Complete one of the following: 3
  HIST 2700 US History to 1877 AS (3)  
and HIST 2710 US History since 1877 AS (3)  
  HIST 1700 American Civilization AS (3)  
  HIST 1740 US Economic History AS (3)  
  POLS 1000 American Heritage SS (3)  
  POLS 1100 American National Government AS (3)  
Complete the following:  
  PHIL 2050 Ethics and Values IH 3
  HLTH 1100 Personal Health and Wellness TE (2)  
or EXSC 1097 Fitness for Life TE 2
Distribution Courses:  
  Biology 3
  Physical Science 3
  Additional Biology or Physical Science 3
  Humanities Distribution 3
  Fine Arts Distribution 3
  Social/Behavioral Science 3
Discipline Core Requirements: 37 Credits
Complete the following:  
  PHIL 2000 Formal Logic I 3
  PHIL 2110 Ancient Greek Philosophy HH WE 3
  PHIL 2150 Early Modern Philosophy HH 3
  PHIL 290G Marginalized Philosophies HH GI 3
  PHIL 480R Philosophy Capstone Prep 1
  PHIL 4910 Philosophy Research Capstone WE 3
Value Theory (complete 3 credits from the following): 3
  PHIL 3150 Philosophical Issues in Feminism (3)  
  PHIL 3160 Gender Values Knowledge and Reality (3)  
  PHIL 3510 Business and Professional Ethics (3)  
  PHIL 3520 Bioethics (3)  
  PHIL 3530 Environmental Ethics (3)  
  PHIL 3540 Christian Ethics (3)  
  PHIL 355G Moral Philosophy GI (3)  
  PHIL 4461 Moral Psychology (3)  
  PHIL 3700 Social and Political Philosophy (3)  
  PHIL 450R Interdisciplinary Senior Ethics Seminar (3)  
  PHIL 451R Ethical Theory Seminar (3)  
History Set (complete 3 credits from the following): 3
  PHIL 4140 History of Analytic Philosophy (3)  
  PHIL 4150 History of Continental Philosophy (3)  
  PHIL 416G History of Chinese Philosophy GI (3)  
Complete 15 additional credits of Philosophy course work, at least 12 of which must be upper-division (excluding those courses taken to fulfill categories listed above).  15
Elective Requirements:    48 Credits
  One Foreign Language  16
  Any course 1000 or higher; 15 credits must be upper-division  32

Graduation Requirements:

  1. Completion of a minimum of 120 semester credits.
  2. Overall grade point average of 2.0 (C) or above. (Departments may require a higher GPA.)
  3. Residency hours--minimum of 30 credit hours through course attendance at UVU, with at least 10 hours earned in the last 45 hours.
  4. Completion of GE and specified departmental requirements.
  5. Completion of 40 hours or upper-division credit.
  6. For the BA degree, completion of 16 credit hours of course work from one language to include the 1010, 1020, 2010, and 202G/2020 levels or transferred equivalents.
  7. Successful completion of at least one Global/Intercultural course.

Note: It is recommended that students planning on earning a Baccalaureate Degree in Philosophy take a foreign language, preferably French or German, in their Freshman and Sophomore academic years. PHIL 120R Philosophy Forum, PHIL 290R Independent Study, PHIL 295R Directed Readings, PHIL 400R Great Philosophers, PHIL 492R Advanced Topics in Philosophy, PHIL 450R Interdisciplinary Senior Ethics Seminar, and PHIL 451R Ethical Theory Seminar can be repeated for credit.

Graduation Plan

This graduation plan is a sample plan and is intended to be a guide. Your specific plan may differ based on your Math and English placement and/or transfer credits applied. You are encouraged to meet with an advisor and set up an individualized graduation plan in Wolverine Track.

Semester 1 Course Title Credit Hours
ENGL 1010 or ENGH 1005 Introduction to Academic Writing CC or Literacies and Composition Across Contexts CC 3
Elective: MAT 1010 (recommended) 4
American Institutions 3
HLTH 1100 or EXSC 1097 Personal Health and Wellness TE or Fitness for Life TE 2
Foreign Language 1010 4
  Semester total: 16
Semester 2 Course Title Credit Hours
ENGL 2010 Intermediate Academic Writing 3
MAT 1030 or 1035 or STAT 1040 or 1045 or MATH 1050 or 1055 or 1090 Quantitative Reasoning QL or Quantitative Reasoning with Integrated Algebra QL or Introduction to Statistics QL or Introduction to Statistics with Algebra QL or College Algebra QL or College Algebra with Preliminaries QL or College Algebra for Business QL 3
Elective: PHIL 1250 (recommended) 3
Humanities 3
Foreign Language 1020 4
  Semester total: 16
Semester 3 Course Title Credit Hours
PHIL 2050 or 205G or 205H Ethics and Values IH GI 3
Biology 3
Social/Behavioral Science 3
Foreign Language 2010 4
PHIL 2110 Ancient Greek Philosophy HH WE 3
  Semester total: 16
Semester 4 Course Title Credit Hours
Physical Science 3
Fine Arts 3
Foreign Language 2020/202G 4
PHIL 2150 Early Modern Philosophy HH 3
PHIL 290G Marginalized Philosophies HH GI 3
  Semester total: 16
Semester 5 Course Title Credit Hours
Third Science 3
VALUE THEORY SET 3
PHIL 2000 Formal Logic I 3
PHIL Elective 3
Elective 1
  Semester total: 13
Semester 6 Course Title Credit Hours
PHIL Elective 3
PHIL Elective 3
PHIL Elective 3
Elective 3
Elective 3
  Semester total: 15
Semester 7 Course Title Credit Hours
PHIL 480R Philosophy Capstone Prep 1
HISTORY SET 3
PHIL Elective 3
Elective 3
Upper-Division Elective 3
  Semester total: 13
Semester 8 Course Title Credit Hours
PHIL 4910 Philosophy Research Capstone WE 3
Upper-Division Elective 3
Upper-Division Elective 3
Upper-Division Elective 3
Upper-Division Elective 3
  Semester total: 15
  Degree total: 120

Department

Philosophy and Humanities

The Philosophy and Humanities department is in the College of Humanities & Social Sciences . To find the most up-to-date information, including Program Learning Outcomes for degree programs offered by the Philosophy and Humanities department, visit their website.

Philosophy and Humanities department

Program Details

Program Learning Outcomes
  1. Ability to analyze, evaluate, and construct reasons and arguments.
  2. Ability to formulate and clearly explain ideas and arguments in writing and speech.
  3. Ability to identify, understand and evaluate the basic content of some philosophical theories.
  4. Express values of self-reflection, intellectual curiosity, and intellectual creativity.
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