Philosophy, B.A.

Students must fulfill the Oakland University General Education Requirements, the General College of Arts and Sciences requirements , the College of Arts and Sciences Exploratory requirement , and the Major Requirements. Additionally, students must complete a sufficient number of free elective courses to meet the overall credit requirement for their degree. A minimum of 120 credits is required, although some degree programs may require a higher total credit count.

Schedule of Classes

Specific offerings for each semester may be found in the Schedule of Classes.

General Education Requirements

In order to graduate on-schedule without taking additional courses, it is highly recommended that students meet with an Undergraduate Academic Adviser concerning the selection of all of their general education courses.

Each candidate for an Oakland University baccalaureate will need to satisfactorily complete approved courses in each of the following areas: Foundations, Explorations, and Integration. For details, refer to the General Education Requirements section of the catalog.

Requirements for the liberal arts major in philosophy, B.A. program

To earn the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in philosophy, a student must complete a minimum of 40 credits in philosophy. Only courses in which the student has earned a grade of at least C may be counted toward the philosophy major. At least 20 credits in Philosophy must be taken at Oakland University. Students must complete the following requirements:

1. One course in logic chosen from

PHL 1000 - Introduction to Logic (4)
PHL 3000 - Advanced Symbolic Logic (4) (recommended for those considering graduate work in philosophy)

2. Two courses in history of Western philosophy

PHL 2200 - Ancient Greek Philosophy (4)
PHL 2210 - Medieval Philosophy (4)
PHL 2220 - Early Modern Philosophy (4)

3. At least 24 additional credits chosen from the following courses

PHL 3100 - Philosophy of Gender (4)
PHL 3120 - Philosophy of Law (4)
PHL 3150 - Philosophy of Religion (4)
PHL 3210 - Twentieth Century British and American Philosophy (4)
PHL 3300 - Ethical Theory (4)
PHL 3310 - Ethics, Language and Reality (4)
PHL 3400 - Metaphysics (4)
PHL 3410 - Theories of Knowledge (4)
PHL 3420 - Theories of Truth (4)
PHL 3430 - Philosophy of Language (4)
PHL 3500 - Clinical Ethics (4)
PHL 3510 - Ethics in Business (4)
PHL 3520 - Public Health Ethics (4)
PHL 3600 - Political Philosophy (4)
PHL 3610 - Philosophy of International Relations: Law, War and Peace (4)
PHL 3630 - Philosophy of Crime, Policing and Punishment (4)
PHL 3700 - Philosophy of Science (4)
PHL 3720 - Topics in the Philosophy of Science (4)
PHL 3810 - Consciousness and Persons (4)
PHL 3800 - Philosophy of Mind (4)
PHL 3820 - Mental Causation (4)
PHL 3830 - Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence (4)
PHL 3880 - Animal Minds and Morals (4)

4. Capstone course

PHL 4970 - Seminar on a Philosophical Topic (4) (satisfies the university general education requirement for the capstone course in the major)

Applicable Minors

All Minors are applicable to this major with the exception of the following Minor(s): Child Welfare, International Orientation for EGR/CS, Philosophy, and Sustainability Engineering.