Philosophy Suggested Four-Year Academic Plan
120 credit hours are required for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy. The Philosophy program is designed for those who wish to do graduate work in philosophy, those planning on graduate work in a related field (including certain professional programs, such as law, medicine or seminary) and those seeking a good liberal arts education, either for its own sake or as preparation for entering the work force. Students should use Academic Planning on the mySXU portal to schedule courses and track degree progress. Detailed course information can be found in the academic catalog.
The suggested four-year academic plan for the major (courses required in the major are in bold) can be found below.
Please consult with your academic advisor prior to course selection.
| Semester 1 | Credit Hours |
| TRANS 100: Transitions | 1 |
| PHIL 140: The Examined Life | 3 |
| ENGL 120: Rhetoric and Writing | 3 |
| GE MATH | 3 |
| GE Biological Science with lab* | 3 |
| GE History | 3 |
| Semester 2 | Credit Hours |
| FYS 175: First Year Seminar | 3 |
| COMM 101: Speech Fundamentals | 3 |
| PHIL elective (200 level) | 3 |
| GE Social Science | 3 |
| GE Art or Literature | 3 |
| Semester 3 | Credit Hours |
| PHIL 210: Logic | 3 |
| PHIL elective (200 level) | 3 |
| GE Physical Science with lab* | 3 |
| Elective or a course for a minor | 3 |
| Elective or a course for a minor | 3 |
| Semester 4 | Credit Hours |
| PHIL 304: Ancient Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL elective (200 or 300 level) | 3 |
| GE Social Science or History | 3 |
| Humanities course not in PHIL | 3 |
| Elective or a course for a minor | 3 |
| Semester 5 | Credit Hours |
| PHIL 306: Early Modern Philosophy | 3 |
| Elective or course for a minor | 3 |
| Humanities course not in PHIL | 3 |
| Elective or a course for a minor | 3 |
| Elective or a course for a minor | 3 |
| Semester 6 | Credit Hours |
| PHIL 307: Late Modern Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL elective (200 or 300 level) | 3 |
| Elective or a course for a minor | 3 |
| Elective or a course for a minor | 3 |
| GE Global Studies | 3 |
| Semester 7 | Credit Hours |
| PHIL advanced course PHIL 374: Studies in Ancient Philosophy or PHIL 378: Studies in Contemporary Philosophy |
3 |
| PHIL elective (200 or 300 level) | 3 |
| Elective or a course for a minor | 3 |
| Elective or a course for a minor | 3 |
| GE Diversity Studies | 3 |
| Semester 8 | Credit Hours |
| PHIL 390: Senior Seminar | 3 |
| Elective or a course for a minor | 3 |
| Elective or a course for a minor | 3 |
| Elective or a course for a minor | 3 |
| Elective or a course for a minor | 3 |
*One of the natural science courses must have a lab component.
Philosophy Minor
Students must complete 18 credit hours including the following:
- PHIL 140: The Examined Life
- One History of Philosophy course
- PHIL 304: History of Ancient Philosophy
- PHIL 305: History of Medieval Philosophy
- PHIL 306: History of Early Modern Philosophy
- and 12 additional hours in Philosophy