UVU strives to ensure the accessibility of our catalogs. However, if individuals with disabilities need this document in a different format than provided, you may contact the Assistive Technology Center at ACCESSIBLETECH@uvu.edu or 801-863-6788.
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 | 3 | |
or | ENGH 1005 | Literacies and Composition Across Contexts (5) | |
ENGL 2010 | Intermediate Writing/Academic Writing and Research | 3 | |
Complete one of the following: | 3 | ||
MAT 1030 | Quantitative Reasoning (3) (recommended for Humanities or Arts majors) | ||
MAT 1035 | Quantitative Reasoning with Integrated Algebra (6) | ||
STAT 1040 | Introduction to Statistics (3) (recommended for Social Science majors) | ||
STAT 1045 | Introduction to Statistics with Algebra (5) | ||
MATH 1050 | College Algebra (4) (recommended for Business, Education, Science, and Health Professions majors) | ||
MATH 1055 | College Algebra with Preliminaries (5) | ||
MATH 1090 | College Algebra for Business (3) (recommended for Business majors) | ||
Complete one of the following: | 3 | ||
HIST 2700 | US History to 1877 (3) | ||
and | HIST 2710 | US History since 1877 (3) | |
HIST 1700 | American Civilization (3) | ||
HIST 1740 | US Economic History (3) | ||
POLS 1000 | American Heritage (3) | ||
POLS 1100 | American National Government (3) | ||
Complete the following: | |||
PHIL 2050 | Ethics and Values | 3 | |
HLTH 1100 | Personal Health and Wellness (2) | ||
or | PES 1097 | Fitness for Life | 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: | 38 Credits | ||
Complete the following: | |||
PHIL 120R | Philosophy Forum | 1 | |
PHIL 2000 | Formal Logic I | 3 | |
PHIL 2110 | Ancient Greek Philosophy WE | 3 | |
PHIL 2150 | Early Modern Philosophy | 3 | |
PHIL 480R | Philosophy Capstone Prep | 1 | |
PHIL 4910 | Philosophy Research Capstone WE | 3 | |
Ethics Set (complete 3 credits from the following): | 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 (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) | ||
Topics Set I (complete 3 credits, not previously completed, from the following) | 3 | ||
PHIL 3040 | Formal Logic II (3) | ||
PHIL 3200 | Metaphysics (3) | ||
PHIL 3300 | Epistemology (3) | ||
PHIL 3400 | Philosophy of Science (3) | ||
PHIL 4140 | History of Analytic Philosophy (3) | ||
PHIL 4470 | Philosophy of Mind (3) | ||
PHIL 4480 | Philosophy of Language (3) | ||
Topic Set II (complete 3 credits, not previously completed, from the following): | 3 | ||
PHIL 3470 | Pragmatism and American Philosophy (3) | ||
PHIL 3750 | Marxist Philosophy (3) | ||
PHIL 3810 | Existentialism and Phenomenology (3) | ||
PHIL 386R | Topics in Ancient Philosophy (3) | ||
PHIL 4130 | Nineteenth Century European Philosophy (3) | ||
PHIL 4150 | History of Continental Philosophy (3) | ||
Complete 12 additional credits of Philosophy course work, at least 9 of which must be upper-division (excluding those courses taken to fulfill categories listed above). | 12 | ||
Elective Requirements: | 47 Credits | ||
Any course 1000 or higher; 15 credits must be upper-division | 47 |
Graduation Requirements:
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, PHIL 290R, PHIL 295R, PHIL 400R, PHIL 492R, PHIL 450R, and PHIL 451R can be repeated for credit.
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.
Milestone courses (pre-requisites for a course in one of the subsequent semesters) are marked in red and Italicized.
Semester 1 | Course Title | Credit Hours |
ENGL 1010* or ENGH 1005 | Introduction to Academic Writing or Literacies and Composition Across Contexts | 3 |
Elective: MAT 1010* | Intermediate Algebra | 4 |
American Institutions | Refer to GE | 3 |
HLTH 1100/PES 1097 | Personal Health and Wellness/Fitness for Life | 2 |
Elective | 4 | |
Semester total: | 16 | |
Notes: *based on test scores, see advisor for details | ||
Semester 2 | Course Title | Credit Hours |
ENGL 2010 | Intermediate Writing/Academic Writing and Research | 3 |
MAT 1030 or MAH 1035 or STAT 1040 or STAT 1045 or MATH 1050 or MATH 1055 or MATH 1090 | Quantitative Reasoning or Quantitative Reasoning with Integrated Algebra or Introduction to Statistics or Introduction to Statistics with Algebra or College Algebra or College Algebra with Preliminaries or College Algebra for Business** | 3 |
PHIL 1250 | Logical Thinking & Philosophical Writing (lower-division philosophy elective) | 3 |
Humanities | HUM 1010-Humanities Through the Arts (recommended) | 3 |
Elective | 4 | |
Semester total: | 16 | |
Notes: **see advisor to discuss best option | ||
Semester 3 | Course Title | Credit Hours |
PHIL 2050/205G/205H | Ethics and Values** | 3 |
Biology | Refer to GE** | 3 |
Social/Behavioral Science | Refer to GE** | 3 |
Elective | 4 | |
PHIL 2110 | Ancient Greek Philosophy WE | 3 |
Semester total: | 16 | |
Notes: **see advisor to discuss best option | ||
Semester 4 | Course Title | Credit Hours |
Physical Science |
Refer to GE** |
3 |
Fine Art | Refer to GE** | 3 |
Elective | 4 | |
PHIL 2150 | Early Modern Philosophy (Spring) | 3 |
PHIL 120R | Philosophy Forum | 1 |
Semester total: | 14 | |
Notes: **see advisor to discuss best option | ||
Semester 5 | Course Title | Credit Hours |
Third Science | Refer to GE (BB or PP)** | 3 |
ETHICS SET | Refer to list** | 3 |
PHIL 2000 | Formal Logic I | 3 |
TOPIC II SET | Refer to list** | 3 |
Elective | any course 1000-level or higher, minor recommended | 3 |
Semester total: | 15 | |
Notes: **see advisor to discuss best option | ||
Semester 6 | Course Title | Credit Hours |
TOPIC I SET | Refer to list** | 3 |
PHIL Elective | any PHIL course 3000-level or higher | 3 |
PHIL Elective | any PHIL course 3000-level or higher | 3 |
Elective | any course 1000-level or higher, minor recommended | 3 |
Elective | any course 1000-level or higher, minor recommended | 3 |
Semester total: | 15 | |
Notes: **see advisor to discuss best option | ||
Semester 7 | Course Title | Credit Hours |
PHIL 480R | Philosophy Capstone Prep | 1 |
HISTORY SET | Refer to list** (Fall) | 3 |
PHIL Elective | any PHIL course 3000-level or higher | 3 |
Elective | any course 1000-level or higher, minor recommended | 3 |
Upper-Division Elective | any course 3000-level or higher, minor recommended | 4 |
Semester total: | 14 | |
Notes: **see advisor to discuss best option | ||
Semester 8 | Course Title | Credit Hours |
PHIL 4910 | Philosophy Research Capstone WE | 3 |
Upper-Division Elective | any course 3000-level or higher, minor recommended | 2 |
Upper-Division Elective | any course 3000-level or higher, minor recommended | 3 |
Upper-Division Elective | any course 3000-level or higher, minor recommended | 3 |
Upper-Division Elective | any course 3000-level or higher, minor recommended | 3 |
Semester total: | 14 | |
Notes: **see advisor to discuss best option | ||
Degree total: | 120 |
The Philosophy and Humanities department is in the College of Humanities & Social Sciences . To find the most up-to-date information from the Philosophy and Humanities department, visit their website.