Students planning to major in Philosophy should ideally sequence courses as follows:
- Philosophy 101 and/or 200 level metaphysics or epistemology,
- 200-level ethics or social/political, and 211 logic.
- Then take 300-level area courses.
- Required courses in the history of philosophy that should be taken as soon as the student decides to major in philosophy, normally during the junior year:
- Philosophy 430 – Great Thinkers of the Ancient Period and
- Philosophy 432 – Great Thinkers of the Modern Period
- Next, take 500-level and 600-level courses.
- Students must fulfill the capstone or research requirement in their senior year:
- Philosophy 681 or Philosophy 685.
- It is strongly recommended that students become proficient in at least one related academic discipline.
Majors will be asked to submit a paper for inclusion in a portfolio that is kept in the department. Typically, this will be a paper written for the senior capstone or research seminar. It should be stressed that this is not an additional requirement for graduation as a major. Rather, it is part of the department's ongoing efforts to evaluate and improve our major program.