Bachelor of Arts, Major in Philosophy

This is an archived copy of the 2022-2023 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.shsu.edu.

Program Specific Requirements

The Philosophy Major requires 30 semester hours of course work in Philosophy. All majors are required to take:

Bachelor of Arts, Major in Philosophy
Core Curriculum
Component Area I (Communication)6
Component Area II (Mathematics) 13
Component Area III (Life and Physical Science)8
Component Area IV (Language, Philosophy, and Culture) 23
Component Area V (Creative Arts)3
Component Area VI (U.S. History)6
Component Area VII (Political Science/Government)6
Component Area VIII (Social and Behavioral Sciences) 33
Component Area IX (Component Area Option)4
Degree Specific Requirements
Foreign Language 414
Fine Arts (PHIL 3366 recommended) 53
Major: Foundation
PHIL 2303Critical Thinking 33
or PHIL 2352 Introduction to Contemporary Logic
PHIL 3364Ancient & Medieval Philosophy3
PHIL 3365Modern Philosophy3
Major: Required
PHIL Coursework 621
Electives: General
General Electives (PSYC 1301, World History, and World Literature recommended) 813
Minor: Required 7
Minor (six hours must be advanced)18
Total Hours120
1

MATH 1332 is recommended.

2

Philosophy majors can satisfy this requirement by completing either PHIL 1301 or PHIL 2306, which will also count toward the required PHIL coursework. 

3

PHIL 2303 satisfies both the Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area VIII (Social and Behavioral Sciences) and 3 hours toward the major.

4

Four Foreign Language courses in one language required. 

5

Philosophy majors can satisfy this requirement by completing PHIL 3366, which will also count toward the required PHIL coursework. 

6

These 21 hours are in addition to the 9 hours of required PHIL courses listed in the Major Core. Students may satisfy this requirement by completing any PHIL courses with grades of C or better.

7

The following minor cannot be paired with this degree program: Minor in Philosophy.

8

All students are required to complete a minimum of 120 hours of course work to earn their B.A. in Philosophy. Students who count any combination of PHIL 1301,PHIL 2303, PHIL 2306, or PHIL 3366 toward both the required PHIL courses/hours and other degree requirements (see footnotes 2, 3, and 4) must complete additional elective hours to reach the required 120 hours of total coursework. Students are encouraged to use this increased flexibility to take additional courses that complement their plan of study,

Notes 

Students must earn a 2.0 minimum overall GPA in all coursework. 

Students must meet a 2.0 minimum overall major GPA in all major coursework.

Students must earn a 2.0 minimum SHSU GPA in all coursework.

Students must meet a 2.0 minimum SHSU major GPA in all major coursework.

It is suggested that students visit with their advisors in choosing a minor.

In addition to advanced PHIL hours, students should use elective and/or minor hours to satisfy the 42-advanced-hour requirement.

As of Fall 2009, only grades of C or above in Philosophy Program courses (those with the prefix PHIL) will count toward the major in Philosophy.

First Year
FallHoursSpringHours
Component Area II13Component Area VIII63
Component Area IV23ENGL 130233
ENGL 130133HIST 130243
HIST 130143PHIL 2303 or 235263
POLS 230553POLS 230653
 15 15
Second Year
FallHoursSpringHours
Component Area III4Component Area III4
Component Area V3Component Area IX1
PHIL 33643Minor83
WOLC 141174PHIL 33653
 WOLC 141274
 14 15
Third Year
FallHoursSpringHours
Fine Arts 93Minor86
General Electives 10,113PHIL Coursework126
Minor83WOLC 231173
PHIL Coursework123 
WOLC 231273 
 15 15
Fourth Year
FallHoursSpringHours
General Electives10,119Component Area IX3
Minor: Advanced 83General Electives10,111
PHIL Coursework123Minor: Advanced83
 PHIL Coursework 129
 15 16
Total Hours: 120
1

MATH 1332 is recommended

2

Philosophy majors can satisfy this requirement by completing either PHIL 1301 or PHIL 2306, which will also count toward the required PHIL coursework. 

3

Satisfies Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area I (Communications).

4

Satisfies Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area VI (U.S. History).

5

Satisfies Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area VII (Political Science/Government).

6

PHIL 2303 satisfies both the Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area VIII (Social and Behavioral Sciences) and 3 hours toward the major.

7

Four courses required in one language.

8

The following minor cannot be paired with this degree program: Minor in Philosophy.

9

Philosophy majors can satisfy this requirement by completing PHIL 3366 which will also count toward the required PHIL coursework. 

10

All students are required to complete a minimum of 120 hours of course work to earn their B.A. in Philosophy. Students who count any combination of PHIL 1301, PHIL 2303, PHIL 2306, or PHIL 3366 toward both the required PHIL courses/hours and other degree requirements (see footnotes 2, 6, and 7) must complete additional elective hours to reach the required 120 hours of total coursework. Students are encouraged to use this increased flexibility to take additional courses that complement their plan of study,

11

PSYC 1301, World History, and World Literature recommended.

12

These 21 hours are in addition to the 9 hours of required PHIL courses listed in the Major Core. Students may satisfy this requirement by completing any PHIL courses with grades of C or better.

Notes

Students must earn a 2.0 minimum overall GPA in all coursework. 

Students must meet a 2.0 minimum overall major GPA in all major coursework.

Students must earn a 2.0 minimum SHSU GPA in all coursework.

Students must meet a 2.0 minimum SHSU major GPA in all major coursework.

It is suggested that students visit with their advisors in choosing a minor.

In addition to advanced PHIL hours, students should use elective and/or minor hours to satisfy the 42-advanced-hour requirement.

As of Fall 2009, only grades of C or above in Philosophy Program courses (those with the prefix PHIL) will count toward the major in Philosophy.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) marketable skills initiative is part of the state’s 60x30TX plan and was designed to help students articulate their skills to employers.  Marketable skills are those skills valued by employers and/or graduate programs that can be applied in a variety of work or education settings and may include interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skill areas.

Students with a degree in Philosophy would graduate with the following skills,

  • A well-developed capacity for synthesizing information.
  • Strong critical thinking abilities.
  • The ability to communicate ideas in a clear and coherent way, in both written and oral mediums. 
  • A well-developed capacity to understand diverse perspectives.