BS in Philosophy
Degree Program Description
Philosophy is the search for reasoned answers to certain fundamental questions about the nature of the universe and the place of humans in it, questions that science seems unable to answer. To do philosophy is to construct and evaluate the best arguments for and against the various possible answers to these questions. The Bachelor of Science emphasizes the formal aspects of philosophy and its many connections with the sciences; it may be a better choice for those wishing to double (or dual) major in philosophy and a science. The practical value of studying philosophy lies in the intellectual training it provides. Successful study of philosophy requires, and helps develop, several valuable intellectual abilities: to grasp the big picture as well as fine details; to think, speak, and write about abstract conceptual questions; to identify the key assumptions of arguments; to make relevant distinctions; and to assess the pros and cons of proposed solutions. These abilities are highly prized in a wide variety of careers, and philosophy majors go on to successful careers in many fields, including law, medicine, and business.
Major Program Requirements
Undergraduates pursuing a BS degree in philosophy must meet all the non-philosophy requirements for a BS degree in the College of Arts and Science, including university general education requirements and graduation requirements. In place of the foreign language requirement, they may take 12 hours of coursework at the 2000-level or higher in Mathematics, Statistics, Physical or Biological Sciences, Psychology, or Economics. In addition, they are recommended, but not required, to pursue a minor in another field. Finally, they must earn 42 credits in philosophy, with a grade of "C-" or above in every course, distributed as follows:
| Required Courses | 9 | |
| Elementary Logic | ||
| Ancient Western Philosophy | ||
| Modern Philosophy | ||
| 3000-Level/4000-Level Requirement | 9 | |
Any three semester-based courses at the 3000-level or 4000-level not already taken to meet other major requirements, except for 4998 and 4999. | ||
| Further BS Requirement | 12 | |
Any four semester-based courses from the following list: | ||
| Rational Decisions | ||
| Minds, Brains, and Machines | ||
| Minds and Morals: An Introduction to Moral Psychology | ||
| Philosophy of Language | ||
| Advanced Logic | ||
| Selected Topics in Logic | ||
| Probability and Induction | ||
| Formal Semantics | ||
| Metaphysics | ||
| Philosophy of Mind | ||
| Philosophy of Science | ||
| Philosophy of Biology | ||
| Capstone Requirement | 3 | |
Any semester-based course at the 4000-level not already taken to meet other major requirements, except for 4998 and 4999. | ||
| Philosophy Electives | 9 | |
Nine philosophy credits in any courses not already taken to meet other major requirements, except for 4998 and 4999; but no more than three 1000-level philosophy courses may be used as philosophy electives. | ||
| Total Credits | 42 | |
Semester Plan
Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary, depending on his or her course choices and whether options are available.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PHIL 1000, 1100, or 1200 | 3 | Natural science | 3 |
| ENGLSH 1000 | 3 | Foreign language or general elective | 5-6 |
| Behavioral or Social Science | 3 | Philosophy elective | 3 |
| Foreign Language or general elelective | 5-6 | Math and Quantitative Reasoning course | 3 |
| 14-15 | 14-15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Behavioral or Social Science | 3 | Philosophy elective | 3 |
| Natural Science | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts course (writing intensive) | 3 |
| PHIL 2700 | 3 | Behavioral or social Science | 3 |
| Foreign Language or general elective | 3 | Natural science | 3 |
| Writing Intensive 1000+ | 3 | Diversity Intensive Course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PHIL 3000 | 3 | PHIL 3200 | 3 |
| Philosophy course, 3000- or 4000-level | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts course | 3 |
| Natural science with lab | 4-5 | Foreign language or general elective | 3 |
| General electives | 6 | Philosophy course, 3000- or 4000-level | 3 |
| Philosophy course, 3000- or 4000-level | 3 | ||
| 16-17 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Philosophy course for BS | 3 | Philosophy course for BS | 3 |
| Philosophy course for BS | 3 | Philosophy course, 4000-level | 3 |
| Philosophy course for BS | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts course | 3 |
| General elective | 3 | General elective | 3 |
| General elective | 3 | General elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits: 119-122 | |||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Explorations
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.