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 a 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

A major in Philosophy consists of the following:

At least ten units in Philosophy, excluding courses numbered 480 or above. At most two of these ten units can be satisfied with courses numbered 199 or below.
Level Requirements:
1. Intermediate Level. Three of the following courses: 210 Ancient Greek Philosophy; 220 17th and 18th Century Philosophy; 230 Philosophy of Mind; 240 Formal Logic; 250 Moral Philosophy.
2. Advanced Level. At least four courses numbered 300–399. At least two of these four courses must be completed on campus.
3. Specialist Level. At least one of the following courses: 410 Topics in History and Traditions; 430 Topics in Knowledge and Reality; 450 Topics in Value Theory. Note: Students can take one additional course at the Specialist Level (numbered 410-450) in lieu of one course at the Advanced Level (numbered 300-399).
Area Requirements:
1. History and Traditions. At least two of the following courses: 210 Ancient Philosophy; 220 17th and 18th Century Philosophy; 310 Aristotle; 311 Classical Chinese Philosophy; 312 Latin American Philosophy; 320 British Empiricism; 323 Kant; 325 19th Century Philosophy.
2. Knowledge and Reality. At least two of the following courses: 230 Philosophy of Mind; 240 Logic; 330 Epistemology; 331 Metaphysics; 332 Philosophy of Science; 333 Philosophy of Emotions; 336 Philosophy of Language; 340 Philosophy of Cognitive Science.
3. Value Theory. At least two of the following courses: 250 Moral Philosophy; 285 Environmental Ethics; 286 Ethics, Data, and Artificial Intelligence; 292 Bioethics; 350 Metaethics; 353 Philosophy of Film and Performing Arts; 360 Aesthetics; 370 Social and Political Philosophy; 378 Philosophy of Law; 389 Race and Philosophy; 390 Gender and Philosophy.

Requirements for the Minor

A Minor in Philosophy consists of the following:

At least five units in Philosophy, excluding courses numbered 480 or above. At most one of these units can be satisfied with a course numbered 199 or below.
At least two of the following courses at the Intermediate level: 210 Ancient Greek Philosophy; 220 17th and 18th Century Philosophy; 230 Philosophy of Mind; 240 Logic; 250 Moral Philosophy.
At least two courses at the Advanced and Specialist levels, numbered 300–479. At least one of these two courses must be completed on campus.

Notes

Only two courses may be used simultaneously to satisfy core curriculum and Philosophy major or minor requirements.
Intermediate Level requirements should be completed by the end of the junior year.
Courses taken more than six years ago will be accepted or rejected for the minor by the Philosophy Department on a case-by-case basis.