Philosophy is a basic field of inquiry. Its range encompasses ideas and issues in every domain of human experience, and its methods apply to problems of an unlimited variety. The major in philosophy can develop not only philosophical skill and sophistication but also critical thinking and writing abilities that are readily applicable to pursuits in other academic areas, useful in careers far removed from philosophy, and valuable in everyday social and personal life. The study of philosophy can profoundly affect both the thinking one does and the kind of person one is.
There are a variety of ways to major in philosophy that students may choose from in accordance with their own backgrounds and interests. These include:
- Philosophy major (no concentration)
Offers students a maximum number of electives so they may choose in accordance with their own backgrounds and interests
- Philosophy major with a concentration in law and ethics
Focuses elective coursework in the areas of law, social and political philosophy, and applied ethics
- Philosophy major with a concentration in ethics
Focuses elective coursework in the areas of ethical theory, applied ethics, and social and political philosophy
- Philosophy major with a concentration in religious studies
Uses electives to explore a variety of both religious expressions and methods of inquiry
- Philosophy major with a concentration in formal methods
Focuses elective coursework in areas of logic and formal methods
- Combined majors in media and screen studies and philosophy, economics and philosophy, environmental studies and philosophy, political science and philosophy, English and philosophy, history and philosophy, criminal justice and philosophy, computer science and philosophy, and physics and philosophy
- Concentrations and course offerings may vary by campus and/or by program modality. Please consult with your advisor or admissions coach for the course availability each term at your campus or within your program modality.
- Certain options within the program may be required at certain campuses or for certain program modalities. Please consult with your advisor or admissions coach for requirements at your campus or for your program modality.
Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.
Universitywide Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the Universitywide Requirements.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
Program Options
Complete one of following options:
Philosophy Major Credit Requirement
Complete 36 semester hours in the major.
Upper-Division Electives
Complete three general electives at the 3000 level or above that do not double count with the major or NUpath.
General Electives
Additional courses taken beyond college and major course requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements
Experiential Liberal Arts
All students in this College of Social Sciences and Humanities program are required to complete the Experiential Liberal Arts Requirement.
Program Requirements
128 total semester hours required
Philosophy Major (no concentration)
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| PHIL 1115 | Introduction to Logic | 4 |
| PHIL 2325 | Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought | 4 |
| or POLS 2325 | Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought |
| PHIL 2330 | Modern Philosophy | 4 |
| 12 |
| 8 |
| 4 |
| Introduction to African American and Africana Studies | |
| Goddesses, Witches, Saints, and Sinners: Women and Religion | |
| Sex in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | |
| Human Rights | |
| Indigenous Philosophy | |
| Race and Religion in Film | |
| Sexuality, Gender, and the Law | |
| Philosophy of Race and Racism | |
Philosophy Major with a Concentration in Law and Ethics
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| PHIL 1115 | Introduction to Logic | 4 |
| PHIL 2325 | Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought | 4 |
| or POLS 2325 | Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought |
| PHIL 2330 | Modern Philosophy | 4 |
| PHIL 3435 | Moral Philosophy | 4 |
| 8 |
| 8 |
| Introduction to Contemporary Moral Issues | |
| Introduction to World Religions | |
| Debating Ethical Controversies | |
| Understanding the Bible | |
| Comparative Ethics | |
| Technology and Human Values | |
| Introduction to Economic Justice | |
| Ethics and Philosophy through Sport | |
| Moral and Social Problems in Healthcare | |
| Business, Ethics, and Human Rights | |
| Environmental Ethics | |
| The Ethics of Food | |
| Sex in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | |
| Hinduism, Buddhism, and Beyond | |
| Islam: Rituals, Traditions, and Debates | |
| Chinese Philosophy and Religion | |
| The Problem of Evil in Film | |
| Science Fiction and Film: Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Analysis | |
| Ethics and Evolutionary Games | |
| Philosophical Problems of Law and Justice | |
| Social and Political Philosophy | |
| Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought | |
| Japanese Buddhism | |
| Indigenous Philosophy | |
| Race and Religion in Film | |
| The Religious Worlds of Boston: Faith and Devotion in Urban Life | |
| Philosophy of Emotions | |
| Artificial Intelligence and Society | |
| Philosophy of Economics | |
| Global Justice | |
| Ethics and Public Policy | |
| 4 |
| Anthropology of Law | |
| Criminal Due Process | |
| Criminology | |
| Youth Crime and Justice | |
| Political Crime and Terrorism | |
| Gender, Crime, and Justice | |
| Race, Crime, and Justice | |
| Rhetoric of Law | |
| The First Amendment and the Media | |
| Introduction to Law | |
| Judicial Process and Behavior | |
| Law and Society | |
| U.S. Constitutional Law | |
| U.S. Civil Liberties | |
| Sociology of Poverty | |
| Violence and Society | |
| 4 |
| Introduction to African American and Africana Studies | |
| Goddesses, Witches, Saints, and Sinners: Women and Religion | |
| Sex in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | |
| Human Rights | |
| Indigenous Philosophy | |
| Race and Religion in Film | |
| Sexuality, Gender, and the Law | |
| Philosophy of Race and Racism | |
Philosophy Major with a Concentration in Ethics
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| PHIL 1115 | Introduction to Logic | 4 |
| PHIL 2325 | Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought | 4 |
| or POLS 2325 | Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought |
| PHIL 2330 | Modern Philosophy | 4 |
| PHIL 3435 | Moral Philosophy | 4 |
| 8 |
| Existentialism | |
| Moral Philosophy | |
| Philosophy and Literature | |
| Philosophy of Race and Racism | |
| Artificial Intelligence and Society | |
| Theory of Knowledge | |
| Philosophy of Science | |
| Advanced Deductive Logic | |
| Philosophy of Mind | |
| Philosophy of Economics | |
| Seminar in Religion | |
| Global Justice | |
| 12 |
| Introduction to Contemporary Moral Issues | |
| Introduction to World Religions | |
| Debating Ethical Controversies | |
| Understanding the Bible | |
| Comparative Ethics | |
| Technology and Human Values | |
| Introduction to Economic Justice | |
| Ethics and Philosophy through Sport | |
| Moral and Social Problems in Healthcare | |
| Business, Ethics, and Human Rights | |
| Environmental Ethics | |
| The Ethics of Food | |
| Sex in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | |
| Hinduism, Buddhism, and Beyond | |
| Islam: Rituals, Traditions, and Debates | |
| Chinese Philosophy and Religion | |
| The Problem of Evil in Film | |
| Science Fiction and Film: Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Analysis | |
| Ethics and Evolutionary Games | |
| Philosophical Problems of Law and Justice | |
| Social and Political Philosophy | |
| Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought | |
| Japanese Buddhism | |
| Indigenous Philosophy | |
| Race and Religion in Film | |
| The Religious Worlds of Boston: Faith and Devotion in Urban Life | |
| Philosophy of Emotions | |
| Artificial Intelligence and Society | |
| Philosophy of Economics | |
| Global Justice | |
| Ethics and Public Policy | |
| 4 |
| Introduction to African American and Africana Studies | |
| Goddesses, Witches, Saints, and Sinners: Women and Religion | |
| Sex in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | |
| Human Rights | |
| Indigenous Philosophy | |
| Race and Religion in Film | |
| Sexuality, Gender, and the Law | |
| Philosophy of Race and Racism | |
Philosophy Major with a Concentration in Religious Studies
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| PHIL 1115 | Introduction to Logic | 4 |
| PHIL 2325 | Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought | 4 |
| or POLS 2325 | Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought |
| PHIL 2330 | Modern Philosophy | 4 |
| PHIL 3435 | Moral Philosophy | 4 |
| 8 |
| 12 |
| Introduction to Religious Studies | |
| Introduction to World Religions | |
| Comparative Ethics | |
| Understanding the Bible | |
| The Meaning of Death | |
| Apocalypticism in Film | |
| Sex in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | |
| Hinduism, Buddhism, and Beyond | |
| Islam: Rituals, Traditions, and Debates | |
| Jewish Religion and Culture | |
| Chinese Philosophy and Religion | |
| The Problem of Evil in Film | |
| Japanese Buddhism | |
| Indigenous Philosophy | |
| Race and Religion in Film | |
| The Religious Worlds of Boston: Faith and Devotion in Urban Life | |
| Seminar in Religion | |
| Directed Study | |
Philosophy Major with a Concentration in Formal Methods
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| PHIL 1115 | Introduction to Logic | 4 |
| PHIL 2325 | Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought | 4 |
| or POLS 2325 | Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought |
| PHIL 2330 | Modern Philosophy | 4 |
| PHIL 4515 | Advanced Deductive Logic | 4 |
| 12 |
| Logic and Computation | |
| Information Economics and Game Theory | |
| Digital Methods for Social Sciences and Humanities | |
| Bostonography: The City through Data, Texts, Maps, and Networks | |
| Statistics and Software | |
| Probability and Statistics | |
| Science and Pseudoscience | |
| Ethics and Philosophy through Sport | |
| Knowledge in a Digital World | |
| Ethics and Evolutionary Games | |
| The Philosophy and Ethics of Lying and Deception | |
| Information and Uncertainty | |
| Scientific Approaches to Philosophy | |
| Theory of Knowledge | |
| Philosophy of Science | |
| Philosophy of Economics | |
| Philosophy of Biology | |
| Public Opinion, Voting, and Elections | |
| |
| 4 |
| Introduction to African American and Africana Studies | |
| Goddesses, Witches, Saints, and Sinners: Women and Religion | |
| Sex in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | |
| Human Rights | |
| Indigenous Philosophy | |
| Race and Religion in Film | |
| Sexuality, Gender, and the Law | |
| Philosophy of Race and Racism | |
