Program Requirements

A minimum total of 120 credit hours is required for the BA in philosophy. In addition to meeting the requirements of the WSU General Education Program and the requirements of Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, students must meet the following requirements:

The major requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of philosophy courses, at least 15 of which must be in courses numbered 300 or above. Each philosophy major must meet with a departmental advisor at least once a semester to plan or review a program of study. Up to 12 credit hours of philosophy courses taken before the decision to major in philosophy may count toward a major. Additional credit hours may be counted with the advisor’s consent.

Course Title Hours
General Education
Select courses to meet General Education requirements 134-35
College Requirements
Select courses to complete all LAS Competency Areas 136
Major Requirements
Select 30 credit hours of philosophy courses (at least 15 credit hours must be at 300-level or above), subject to the following requirements. Courses taken to satisfy one category may not be used to also satisfy a second category.
Required Courses
PHIL 125Introductory Logic3
PHIL 175Introduction to Ethics3
PHIL 395Philosophy Capstone3
History of Philosophy
Select 9 credit hours from the following9
PHIL 303
19th- and 20th-Century Philosophy
PHIL 331
Ancient Greek Philosophy
PHIL 350
Ancient Chinese Philosophy
PHIL 370
Survey of Modern Philosophy
World Philosophy
Select 3 credit hours from the following3
PHIL 225
Ways of Being in the World: An Introduction to Indigenous Philosophies of Turtle Island
PHIL 228
Introduction to Japanese Philosophy
PHIL 304
Latin American and LatinX Thought
PHIL 350
Ancient Chinese Philosophy
PHIL 352
Contemporary Chinese Philosophy
PHIL 365
Survey of Asian Philosophy
Philosophy Electives
Select an additional 9 credit hours of philosophy courses9
Open Electives
Select enough electives to reach 120 credit hours19-20
Total Credit Hours120
1

Required major courses may also count towards General Education and/or LAS Competencies. Students will need to select additional electives to reach 120 credit hours required for graduation with assistance from an advisor.

Applied Learning

Students in the Bachelor of Arts in philosophy program are required to complete an applied learning or research experience to graduate from the program. The requirement can be met by completing the following program course requirements:

Select one item from list A, or three items from list B.

A. Substantive Experiences (one item from this list)

  • Publish an article in an undergraduate philosophy journal.
  • Edit or referee submissions for an undergraduate philosophy journal.
  • Give a paper or serve as commentator for a paper at an undergraduate philosophy conference.
  • Give a poster presentation at an undergraduate philosophy conference.
  • Give a paper or poster presentation at URCAF.
  • Take a Directed Readings or Honors option which involves original research or scholarship.
  • Internship or co-op experience.
  • Serve as logic/critical reasoning tutor.
  • Serve as an officer in the Philosophy Society (PS), the Prelaw Student Association (PLSA) or the SGA.

B. Less Substantive Experiences2 (three items from this list)

  • Attend lecture of visiting speaker (in philosophy).
  • Attend philosophy seminar given by visiting speaker.
  • Attend on-campus session of the Kansas Appellate Court.
  • Attend on-campus presentation by law school.
  • Participate in visits to regional law schools organized by the PLSA.
  • Attend an undergraduate or professional philosophy conference.
  • Participate in activities of the PS or PLSA.
  • Participate in philosophical discussions on social media organized by the PS.
2

Attendance/participation is to be verified either through completed registration forms or signatures on sign-up sheets.