Degree Requirements for Philosophy

In this section

General Requirements for the Major or Minor

General university degree requirements stipulate that 1) at least four units of the major or three units of the minor be taken in residence at Puget Sound; 2) students earn at least a cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken for the major or the minor; and 3) all courses taken for a major or minor must be taken for graded credit. Any exceptions to these stipulations are indicated in the major and minor degree requirements listed below.

Requirements for the Major in Philosophy (BA)

A major in Philosophy consists of nine units with the following distribution:

Three of the following intermediate level courses: 210 Ancient Greek Philosophy; 215 Classical Chinese Philosophy; 230 Philosophy of Mind; 250 Moral Philosophy.
At least one of the following specialist level seminars: 410 Topics in History and Traditions; 430 Topics in Knowledge and Reality; 450 Topics in Value Theory.
Five additional courses in Philosophy, excluding courses above 480, with
1. at most two at the introductory/100 level, and
2. at least two at the advanced/300 level and completed on campus.

Requirements for the Minor in Philosophy

A Minor in Philosophy consists of five units with the following distribution:

Two of the following intermediate level courses: 210 Ancient Greek Philosophy; 215 Classical Chinese Philosophy; 230 Philosophy of Mind; 250 Moral Philosophy.
Three additional courses in Philosophy, excluding courses above 480, with
1. at most one at the introductory/100 level, and
2. at least two at the advanced/300 or specialist/400 level and completed on campus.

Notes

Intermediate Level requirements should be completed by the end of the junior year.
Students declaring Philosophy as a second major or as a minor are encouraged to select a Philosophy faculty member as a secondary advisor.
Students combining a Philosophy major with a second major may request permission of the Philosophy Department to count a relevant course from their other major toward the philosophy requirements. Students pursuing this option will be asked to submit a petition explaining how the course is relevant to their philosophical education.
Courses taken more than six years ago will be accepted or rejected for the major and minor by the Philosophy Department on a case-by-case basis.