Philosophy Major
The Philosophy major provides a traditional course of study in philosophy.
Students pursuing this bachelor’s degree must earn a minimum of 30 credit hours in the Newcomb-Tulane College core curriculum, 120 credit hours in their degree and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.000. More information on degree and core curriculum requirements can be found here.
See Sample Plan of Study below.
Curriculum Requirements
All students majoring in philosophy and not writing an honors thesis must complete a total of nine courses (27 credits) in philosophy. All students majoring in philosophy and writing an honors thesis must complete ten courses (31 credits). In this case, honors thesis work in PHIL 4990 Honors Reading (3 c.h.) and PHIL 5000 Honors Thesis (4 c.h.) counts for two courses and seven credits. (One of these seven credits is a writing requirement credit.) In addition to the standard major, the department offers two more specialized tracks within the major: Law, Morality, and Society; and Language, Mind, and Knowledge.
Honors Thesis
Standard Major
For the standard major in philosophy the specific course requirements are:
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| History of Philosophy | 6 | |
| History of Ancient Phil | ||
| History of Modern Phil | ||
| Logic | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Critical Thinking | ||
| Elementary Symbolic Logic | ||
| Mathematical Logic | ||
| Ethics | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Ethics | ||
| Ethics In Business | ||
| Moral Philosophy | ||
| History of Ethics | ||
| Medical Ethics | ||
| Social & Polit Ethics | ||
| Ethics of Abortion | ||
| Ethical Theory | ||
| Crime and Punishment | ||
| Moral Philosophy | ||
| Moral Psychology & Meta-Ethics | ||
| Locke's Moral & Political Phil | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| Mill's Util Liberalism | ||
| Metaphysics/Mind/Epistemology | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Philosophies of The Self | ||
| Beginning With Minds | ||
| Minds, Machines & Experience | ||
| Matter and Consciousness | ||
| Origins of Analytic Philosophy | ||
| Theory of Knowledge | ||
| Logical Empiricism | ||
| Metaphysics | ||
| Consciousness | ||
| Interpreting Minds | ||
| Imagination | ||
| Language and Thought | ||
| Skepticism | ||
| Metaphysics of Mind | ||
| Philosophy of Neuroscience | ||
| Metaphysics | ||
| Freedom & The Self | ||
| Philosophy of Perception | ||
| Mental Representation | ||
| Philosophy of Mind | ||
| Additional Requirements | ||
| Four more courses beyond the above, for a total of 27 courses in the complete major. Two courses must be at the 6000 level. No more than three courses may be at the 1000 level. | 12 | |
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Anarchy | ||
| Theories of Economic Justice | ||
| Philosophy of Cognitive Science | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 27 | |
Additional Information
No more than three of the required nine courses can be at the 1000-level.
Sample Plan of Study
This example plan of study for the BA in Philosophy represents a fall semester start and encompasses all program requirements. Students are responsible for reviewing university, school, and program requirements, along with prerequisites and the sequencing of courses in coordination with their academic and major advisors.
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| PHIL 1210 | Elementary Symbolic Logic | 3 |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 13 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHIL 2010 | History of Ancient Phil | 3 |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 12 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHIL 2020 | History of Modern Phil | 3 |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 12 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one Philosophy of Language, Mind, or Knowledge course at the 3000-level | 3 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 12 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| Select two Philosophy of Language, Mind, or Knowledge course | 6 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 9 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one Philosophy of Language, Mind, or Knowledge course at the 6000-level | 3 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 13 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| NTC Core and General Electives | 12 | |
| Select one Philosophy elective at the 6000-level | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one Philosophy elective | 3 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 10 | |
| Credit Hours | 13 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
Program String and Field of Study: LABA_UG, PHIL
For more information, contact the School of Liberal Arts.