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Requirements for the Minor

Application for Minor

The study of philosophy fosters skills that are useful in virtually any field of study: the abilities to organize ideas, to assess the pros and cons of an issue, to evaluate arguments and to reason effectively. Several areas exist to which the theories and methods of philosophy are especially relevant. Accordingly, the Department of Philosophy offers a number of specialized minors in addition to the regular departmental minor. The pre-law minor is intended for students interested in the legal profession. The logic minor is useful for students of mathematics and computer science. The philosophy of science minor is especially intended for students of any of the natural and social sciences. The arts minor is designed to accommodate both literature and the visual arts. The professional ethics minor can be used either by those whose intended profession is in the area of health care or by those in business and management.

General Philosophy Minor Acceptance Criteria

Minimum GPA of 2.0
One philosophy course with a minimum C grade
Eighteen required credit hours in Philosophy

  1. One of the following:
    • 115 Critical Thinking
    • 215 Introduction to Deductive Logic
  2. One of the following:
    • 107 Ethics
    • 337 Social and Ethical Values in Medicine
    • 238 Philosophy of Law
  3. One of the following:
    • 360 Ancient Philosophy
    • 366 Medieval Philosophy
    • 370 Early Modern Philosophy
    • 380 19th Century Philosophy
    • 388 20th Century Philosophy
  4. Three additional courses at the 300-400 level. No more than two independent study tutorials shall count toward the fulfillment of this requirement.

Subfield Philosophy Minor Acceptance Criteria

Minimum GPA of 2.0
One philosophy course with a minimum C grade

Logic Minor

  1. 215 Introduction to Deductive Logic
  2. 315 Symbolic Logic
  3. One of the following:
    • 415 Logical Theory 1
    • 416 Logical Theory 2
    • 418 Philosophy of Mathematics
    • 419 Philosophy of Logic
  4. Three additional courses, two at the 300-400 level

Philosophy of Law Minor

  1. One of the following:
    • 115 Critical Thinking
    • 215 Introduction To Deductive Logic
  2. One of the following:
    • 107 Ethics
    • 162 Law, Morality and Authority
  3. 238 Philosophy of Law
  4. Two of the following:
    • 338 Law and Moralty
    • 340 Law and Responsibility
    • 443 Topics in Philosophy of Law
  5. One of the following:
    • 328 Philosophy of Language
    • 333 Epistemology
    • 335 Contemporary Ethical Theory
    • 341 Social Philosophy
    • 342 Political Philosophy

Philosophy of Professional Ethics Minor

  1. 117 Professional Ethics
  2. 115 Critical Thinking
  3. One of the following:
    • 337 Social and Ethical Values in Medicine
    • 238 Philosophy of Law
  4. One of the following:
    • 335 Contemporary Ethical Theory
    • 336 History of Ethics
  5. Two additional courses at the 300-400 level

Philosophy of Science Minor

  1. 215 Introduction to Deductive Logic
  2. 315 Symbolic Logic
  3. One of the following:
    • 221 Introduction to Philosophy of Science
    • 321 Philosophy of Natural Sciences
  4. 370 Early Modern Philosophy
  5. Two additional courses at the 300-400 level

Philosophy of Arts Minor

  1. 108 Knowledge and Reality
  2. 115 Critical Thinking
  3. One of the following:
    • 344 Aesthetics Theory & Criticism
    • 345 Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art
  4. One of the following:
    • 360 Ancient Philosophy
    • 354 Chinese and Japanese Philosophy
  5. Two additional courses at the 300-400 level