Undergraduate Program Information

•      Major in Philosophy

•      Minor in Philosophy

•      Pre-Law Concentration

•      Economics-Philosophy Major

•      English-Philosophy Major

•      Interdisciplinary Major/Minor

•      Honors

•      Phi Sigma Tau

•      Advisement

•      Learning Outcomes

31 hours distributed as follows:

201

Greek Philosophy (3 Credits)

202

Modern Philosophy (3 Credits)

356

Symbolic Logic (4 Credits)

358

Ethical Theory (3 Credits)

352

Theory of Knowledge or 354 Metaphysics (3 Credits)

441

Philosophical Movements or 442 Individual Philosophers or one of the following:

402, 403, 404, 406, 409, 410, 412, 413, 421, 422

Plus, twelve hours of electives, 6 of which must be at the 300 level or above. (Normally 100 level Philosophy courses will count only if taken prior to any 200 level or higher courses.)

For current courses offered click here

Work sheet

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18 or 19 hours including either 156 or 356; at least 2 of the following: 101, 201, 202; and 9 additional hours at the 300 level or above. If 101 is included it must be taken before any 300 level or above course which is counted toward the minor.

30-31 hours distributed as follows:

156

Reasoning and Critical Thinking (3 Credits) or 356 Symbolic Logic (4 Credits)

201

Greek Philosophy (3 Credits)

202

Modern Philosophy (3 Credits)

352

Theory of Knowledge (3 Credits)

358

Ethical Theory (3 Credits)

371

Classical Social and Political Philosophy or 372 Modern Social and Political Philosophy

381

Philosophy of Law and Morals (3 Credits)

Plus, 9 hours of Philosophy electives, 6 of which must be at the 300 level or above. (Normally 100 level Philosophy courses will only count if taken prior to any 200 level or higher courses.)

Outside the department, the following courses are recommended: Pol Sc 315 or 316 (Constitutional Law).

Work sheet

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The Department of Philosophy cooperates with the Department of Economics in administering an interdepartmental Economics-Philosophy major, and with the Department of English in administering an interdepartmental English-Philosophy major.

The Philosophy department participates fully in the following interdisciplinary programs which offer undergraduate minors and/or majors within the College of Arts and Sciences: Asian Studies (see International Studies); European Studies (see International Studies); Latin American Studies, Period Minor (see Comparative Literature), Peace Studies, Religious Studies; and Science Technology and Society.

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Honors in Philosophy

Purpose

The Honors Program is designed to enable superior students to do independent study and research. The program culminates in the writing of a senior thesis.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the Honors Program, a student must:

•      Be a Philosophy Major
•      Have an overall GPA of 3.00 or better
•      Have a GPA of 3.50 or better in his/her Philosophy coursework taken at UNM
•      Submit an application to the Department of Philosophy by the beginning of the senior year
•      Print Application Form

Application Procedures

Students interested in the Honors in Philosophy program should submit an aplication to the Deartment of philosophy during their junior year (But by the beginning of their senior year at the latest. Admission to Departmental Honors candidacy cannot be granted later than the beginning of the studen'ts senior year). Once a student's application has been approved, a meeting with the Philosophy Honors Advisor should be scheduled to secure a thesis committee and obtain information on completing the Honors Program.

The Honors Sequence: 497 (Honors Seminar) & 499 (Honors Thesis)

Students approved for Honors in Philosophy must complete Philosophy 497 an 499. Philosophy 497 is a reading and research course normally taken in the fall semester of the senior year. Before enrolling in this course, the student selects one faculty member to serve as his or her thesis advisor and then registers for Philosophy 497 with that instructor. By the end of the course, the student iwll have developed a 750-1500 word thesis proposal and a preliminary bibliography. Philosophy 499 is ordinarily taken during the spring semester of the senior year with the same faculy member who supervised Philosophy 497. (With the permission of the Honors Advisor, the two courses may be taken in the same semester.) Building on the work of the previus semester in Philosophy 497, the honors dandidate should complete the necessary research and writing of the honors thesis in close consultation with their thesis advisor. The thesis is due no later than the Monday of the 12th week of the semester.

Grading the Thesis

Each honors thesis will be read and graded by a thesis committee, composed of the thesis advisor and a second reader (or readers) chosen by the department. The thesis grade will be the average of the grades assigned by the readers. Students receiveing a grade of B or better on the thesis will be awarded Honors in Philosophy (either cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude). If the student fails to earn a grade of B or higher on the senior thesis or fails to meet the GPA requirements for honors at the time of graduation, the student may still receive credit for Philosophy 499 and graduate, albeit without honors.

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Phi Sigma Tau

Phi Sigma Tau is a philosophy honorary society whose purpose is to be a means for developing and honoring academic excellence as well as philosophical interest. Phi Sigma Tau stands for Filountwn Sofian Timhn  (Of those who love wisdom, honor). For more information please visit the Phi Sigma Tau webpage.

Advanced Study

The Philosophy Department offers both the M.A. and Ph D. degrees. More information on the graduate programs can be found at the Graduate Programs Page.

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