Department of Philosophy

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Undergraduate Students

The Major in Philosophy

• A prerequisite requirement, which the student should try to satisfy in the first two or three quarters after declaring a major in philosophy; and,
• Major program requirements

Any variation from the following requirements must be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies or the Honors Advisor.

1. Prerequisite Requirement:
   • Philosophy 250 (Symbolic Logic)
2. Major Program Requirements:
   1. At least 45 credits numbered 200 and above, not including Philosophy 250, (see Course Descriptions) which is a prerequisite requirement and may not be included in the major program.
   2. The major program must include the following, which account for 30 of the required 45 credit hours:
      1. History of Philosophy (15 credits): Each major must include:
         • Philosophy 301 (History of Ancient Philosophy) and
         • Two of the following courses:
           • Philosophy 302
           • Philosophy 303 (History of 17^th Century Philosophy)
           • Philosophy 304 (History of 18^th Century Philosophy)
           • Philosophy 305 (History of 19^th Century Philosophy)
      2. Philosophical Topics (15 credits): Each major must include:
         • Philosophy 431 (Ethical Theory), and
         • Two of the following courses:
           • Philosophy 455 (Philosophy of Science)
           • Philosophy 460 (Introduction to Theory of Knowledge)
           • Philosophy 463 (Introduction to Metaphysics)
           • Philosophy 467 (Introduction to Philosophy of Mind)
           • Philosophy 473 (Introduction to Philosophy of Language)
   3. At least 10 of the required 45 credit hours in the major program must be in philosophy courses numbered 600 and above.
   4. A minimum of 20 credit hours of a student's major program must be completee at Ohio State.
   5. Philosophy 367 & 597 may not be included in a major program, although they may be used for GEC requirements.

Note: The College of Arts and Sciences does not normally allow students working on a single major B.A. degree to use any course that counts as a GEC in their major program. In the case of double majors, it is sometimes permissible for courses to count both toward the student's GEC requirements and one of the student's major program requirements.

The major program is planned by the student in collaboration with a faculty advisor in the Philosophy Department. This can be done at any time but it is best to establish a major program as soon as the student selects Philosophy as a major. The major program must be approved by the student's faculty advisor and filed in the college office. Satisfactory completion of all courses on the major program is a requirement for graduation. Changes in the major program require the approval of the faculty advisor.