Undergraduate Philosophy Requirements (Non-Majors)

Philosophy Requirements for Students who are not Philosophy Majors (for students who entered CUA as freshmen before Fall 2018)

Except for students participating in the University Honors Program, PHIL 201 and 202 are required courses for students enrolled in each School and are normally taken during the freshman year.

In addition to PHIL 201 and 202, students who are pursuing a B.A. degree must elect one course from each of the following two areas to fulfill the last two of their four-course philosophy requirement:

Area I: Logic, Morality, and Action

PHIL 301 Reasoning and Argumentation
PHIL 303 Biomedical Ethics
PHIL 309B Theories of Ethics
PHIL 310 Philosophy of Art
PHIL 311 Contemporary Moral Issues
PHIL 320 Philosophy of Sport
PHIL 332B Political Philosophy
PHIL 333B Philosophy of Natural Right and Natural Law
PHIL 335 Islamic Political Philosophy
PHIL 347 Justice, Education, and Leadership in Plato’s Republic
PHIL 403 Morality and Law

Area II: Nature, Knowledge, and God

PHIL 305 Metaphysics
PHIL 308 Philosophy of God
PHIL 313B Philosophy of Human Nature
PHIL 315 Philosophy of Language
PHIL 317 Philosophy of Religion
PHIL 319 Darwin & Design
PHIL 328 Philosophy of the Social Sciences
PHIL 329B Philosophy of Science and Nature
PHIL 331B Philosophy of Knowledge
PHIL 334 Philosophy in the Islamic World
PHIL 336 Introduction to Asian Philosophy

The two required courses may not be from the same area. Students are free to elect additional courses from the two areas and any 500-level course, except 556.

Students who are pursuing a B.S. degree elect only one course from one of the two areas to fulfill their three-course philosophy requirement.

Students in professional programs with extensive major requirements (ARPL, ENGR, MUS, NURS) typically complete only PHIL 201 and 202, or their honors equivalents. In addition,

  1. Students in Engineering take PHIL 362 Professional Ethics in Engineering;
  2. Students in Nursing take PHIL 303 Biomedical Ethics or TRS 333 Biomedical and Healthcare Ethics for Nursing.

Philosophy Requirements for Students who are not Philosophy Majors (for students who entered CUA as freshmen in Fall 2018 or later)

Except for students participating in the University Honors Program, PHIL 201 and 202 are required courses for students enrolled in each School and are normally taken during the freshman year.

Students in B.A. programs typically complete two additional philosophy courses as described above, unless they replace the Focus Area of the Liberal Arts Curriculum with a secondary major, a minor, or other approved alternatives.

Students in B.S. programs typically complete one additional philosophy course as described above.

Students in professional programs with extensive major requirements (ARPL, ENGR, MUS, NURS) typically complete only PHIL 201 and 202, or their honors equivalents. In addition,

  1. Students in Engineering take PHIL 362 Professional Ethics in Engineering;
  2. Students in Nursing take PHIL 303 Biomedical Ethics or TRS 333 Biomedical and Healthcare Ethics for Nursing.