May 01, 2025

2025-2026 General Catalog [Effective Fall 2025]

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2025-2026 General Catalog [Effective Fall 2025]

Philosophy (BA/BS)

Location(s): Main Campus
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Program Information

Six Philosophy Requirements

Language Emphasis Requirement: Each BA student is required to work with a philosophical text in the language that fulfills the BA language requirement. The BS majors must work in a formal language: math, logic, or a computer language. The major must coordinate with a philosophy faculty member and when necessary with a relevant language (or science) faculty member. The major will produce a three-to-five page paper that demonstrates the language ability grounded in a philosophical text. This requirement will usually function as part of the Senior Seminar.

Emphasis I	BS	Analytic	Minor in Mathematics - Pure Mathematics Emphasis (Minor) , Computer Science (Minor) , or Economics (Minor)
Emphasis II	BA	Ancient or Medieval	Arabic, Chinese, Greek, or Latin
Emphasis III	BA	Modern or Contemporary	Arabic, Chinese, Greek, or Latin
Emphasis IV	BA	Topics - Ethics, Political Philosophy, Metaphysics, or Epistemology	Any language

Area Requirement: All philosophy majors must take PHIL 1000 - Introduction to Philosophy . In addition, there are four area requirements. All philosophy majors must fulfill all areas:

Area I	Logic	PHIL 1250 and PHIL 3200
Area II	Values	PHIL 3500 or PHIL 3700
Area III	Being and Knowledge	PHIL 3300 or PHIL 3400
Area IV	History of Philosophy	PHIL 4110 and PHIL 4120

Senior Seminar Requirement: All philosophy majors must take PHIL 4010 - Senior Seminar . The course is open to all philosophy majors, not just seniors. Prerequisite: Successful completion of one (1) course in each area of the major.
Elective Units: There are 24 credit hours required in the core for the BA in philosophy. The remaining 12 credit hours may be selected from any remaining philosophy course.
Grade Requirement: Only philosophy courses with letter grades count. Only courses with a grade of “C-” or better may count for the major. The overall GPA in philosophy courses must be at least 2.0.
Residence Requirement: Some of the requirements fulfilled elsewhere may transfer to SUU and count toward the major. Such cases require the approval of the Chair of the Department of Languages and Philosophy . The senior seminar must be completed at SUU.

Bachelor’s Degree Type: Arts or Science Requirement (12* or 16** Credits)

Select one degree type from either Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science:

Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree Requirement (12 Credits*)

Bachelor of Science Degree - Math or Science minimum requirement 12 Credits

* Note: A portion of the BS requirements may be met by fulfilling the General Education Core and Breadth Areas. Consult your Student Success Advisor for details.

or

Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree Requirement (16 Credits**)

Bachelor of Arts Degree - Foreign Language Requirement 16 Credits

** Note: One semester of a foreign language may also fulfill the General Education Humanities requirement. The 16 credits may be fulfilled by taking four semesters of a foreign language or by testing out of a language and purchasing the credits. Consult your Student Success Advisor for details.

General Education Requirement (28+ Credits)

See General Education for course options.

Core Course Requirements (12+ Credits)
Breadth Area Requirements (16+ Credits)

Philosophy Curriculum (36 Credits)

Required Courses (24 Credits)

PHIL 1000 - Introduction to Philosophy 3 Credit(s) [GE Humanities]
PHIL 4010 - Senior Seminar 3 Credit(s)

Area I: Logic

PHIL 1250 - Critical Thinking 3 Credit(s) [GE Humanities]
PHIL 3200 - Deductive Logic 3 Credit(s)

Area II: Values

Complete a minimum of 3 credits from the following:

PHIL 3500 - Moral Theory 3 Credit(s)
PHIL 3700 - Political Philosophy 3 Credit(s)

Area III: Being and Knowledge

Complete a minimum of 3 credits from the following:

PHIL 3300 - Theory of Knowledge 3 Credit(s)
PHIL 3350 - History and Philosophy of Science 3 Credit(s)
PHIL 3400 - Mind, Language, and Reality 3 Credit(s)

Area IV: History of Philosophy

PHIL 4110 - Ancient Greek Philosophy 3 Credit(s)
PHIL 4120 - Modern Philosophy 3 Credit(s)

Elective Courses (12 Credits)

Complete 12 credits from other course offerings. No more than 3 credits may come from lower-division coursework:

PHIL 2050 - Social Ethics and Values 3 Credit(s) [GE Humanities]
PHIL 3010 - Philosophy (Variable Topics) 3 Credit(s)
PHIL 3011 - Special Topics: Philosophy of _______ 3 Credit(s)
PHIL 3300 - Theory of Knowledge 3 Credit(s) (if not completed for required Area)
PHIL 3350 - History and Philosophy of Science 3 Credit(s) (if not completed for required Area)
PHIL 3400 - Mind, Language, and Reality 3 Credit(s) (if not completed for required Area)
PHIL 3500 - Moral Theory 3 Credit(s) (if not completed for required Area)
PHIL 3700 - Political Philosophy 3 Credit(s) (if not completed for required Area)
PHIL 4850 - Independent Research 1-3 Credit(s)
Any PHIL course not listed above

Minor Requirements (for BS degrees) (18-19 Credits)

Select from one of the following minors (ONLY for students pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Philosophy):

Free Electives and University Requirements

Students’ total free elective credit is determined by their General Education courses taken, degree type selected (if applicable), additional credits earned, and any additional math or other prerequisite courses needed. Some students and/or programs may not have any free electives.

For a bachelor’s degree, students must earn

A minimum of 120 total credits;
A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in both SUU coursework and combined transfer/SUU coursework;
40 upper-division credits , 20 of which are earned from SUU (students may need to select additional upper-division courses not included in their major requirements in order to reach this minimum 40); and
30 credits completed through SUU.

Total Credits, BA/BS Degree: 120

Program Learning Outcomes

Critical Thinking: Students can identify the rational bases of ideas and theories and will be able to identify the difference between good and bad reasons for beliefs.
Inquiry and Analysis: Students can pose difficult questions and understand the complexities of their possible answers.
Reading: Students can analyze and interpret abstract and difficult philosophical writing.
Writing: Students can express abstract and complex philosophical ideas and theories in clear, precise, and logical prose.