Mar 29, 2024  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog

Philosophy B.A.


TOTAL DEGREE HOURS: 120
Plans of Study 

This degree prepares our majors to go on to graduate school, medical school, law school, or choose to enter the workforce in a wide variety of public, private, governmental, and non-profit agencies. Faculty in the department collaborate with an extensive group of disciplines, providing students across campus with a site for interdisciplinary learning and teaching. Given the intensity and rigor of the study, including analytical reading and critical writing, our majors make themselves extremely attractive to potential employers

University Admissions - College of Arts and Sciences


Admission to the University is based on the University’s Undergraduate Admission Requirements that may be found by clicking on the following urls:

For Admission information specific to the College of Arts and Sciences, see the information at College of Arts and Sciences .

Graduation Requirements - College of Arts and Sciences


Satisfactory completion of the following requirements:

  • Students must complete all State and University level graduation requirements.
  •  Maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in USF coursework. Note: Some Departments/program/major require a higher GPA. Students should refer to Department/program/major specific catalog requirements.
    • The College may approve an exception when a student has successfully earned the minimum grade required for all courses applied in the major but does not have a major GPA of 2.0.
  • Physical Education coursework is limited to two (2) semester hours.
  • ROTC courses that are primarily physical training and field experiences will not be applied to College of Arts and Sciences degree programs. All other military Science coursework will apply, in particular, coursework utilized toward completing an established ROTC minor will be applied to the total hours toward degree. 
  • When earning a second degree, double major or concurrent degree, the Major Core and Major Elective/Concentration areas of the degree audit must not overlap for both degrees.  All other areas of the degree audit may have overlapping credit hours applied.
  • Maximum of 20 hours of S/U option. S/U contracts must be negotiated in writing within the first three (3) weeks of the term. None of the 20 credits may be taken in the student’s major unless S/U is the only grading option. Coursework fulfilling the General Education Core Curriculum Requirements and the State Communication Requirement (formerly known as Gordon Rule Writing) and State Computation Requirement (formerly known as Gordon Rule Math) may not be taken S/U.
  • The Audit option is available only during the first 5 days of classes.
  • Complete all major course requirements.
  • College of Arts and Sciences students are expected to complete a minimum of 50% of their major and/or minor coursework in residence at USF. Some College of Arts and Sciences Departments/programs/majors have established additional major course hours to be taken in residency at USF. See the major or program section of the catalog for these credit-hour requirements.

State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites - Philosophy B.A.


Following Florida BOG Regulation 8.010, state mandated common course prerequisites are lower-division courses that are required for progression into the upper division of a particular baccalaureate degree program. 

Transfer students should complete the State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites at the lower level prior to entering the university. If these courses are not taken at a Florida College System institution, they must be completed before the degree is granted. Successful completion of the common prerequisites alone does not guarantee a student admission into the degree program. 

Unless stated otherwise, a grade of C- is the minimum acceptable grade in prerequisite courses.
 
There are no specified common prerequisites for this major.

Required Courses: (36 credit hours)


Philosophy Core Courses: 5 courses; 15 credit hours


Courses for the major are divided into four groups: history, logic, capstone, and electives. Within the history and elective groups, students have considerable latitude in selecting their courses; however, it is expected that they do so in consultation with their major advisor and Philosophy faculty with a view toward achieving a balanced program of study.

Students pursuing Philosophy as a second major are required to complete 30 hours in Philosophy coursework.

II. Logic: 1 course; 3 credit hours


Choose one of the following courses:

III. Capstone Seminar: 1 course; 3 credit hours


Philosophy Elective Courses: 7 courses; 21 credit hours


Choose seven courses (21 credit hours) from the following prefixes: PHH, PHI, PHM and PHP. (Fifteen credit hours for students taking Philosophy as a second major) No more than six elective hours taken at the 1000 and 2000 level may count toward the Philosophy major.

Courses taken to fulfill the nine hours of History of Philosophy requirement (I.) will not count toward elective hours in the major.

Additional Information - Philosophy B.A.


GPA Requirements


Major GPA (All USF courses which are applied to major requirements):  2.0
General Education GPA (All USF courses which are applied to General Education requirements):   2.0
USF GPA:  2.0
Overall GPA 2.0

Grading Requirements


A grade of C- or better to meet major course requirements unless specified elsewhere. Will vary by area.

Note:  Some USF courses have higher grade criteria to meet prerequisite knowledge necessary for progression into higher level courses.

Other Information


Students pursuing Philosophy as a second major are required to complete 30 hours in Philosophy coursework. To do so they must make a written request to the Undergraduate Director at the time they declare their Philosophy major.

Residency Requirement


Department Major Academic Residency Requirement - No more than six hours of Philosophy electives and three hours of required Philosophy coursework taken at institutions other than USF may count toward the major.

College of Arts and Sciences Major Academic Residency Requirement - 50% of major must be completed at USF

USF Academic Residency Requirement - 30 of the last 60 hours earned must be from USF

Optional Honors Program - Philosophy B.A.


Honors Program

The Honors Program in Philosophy allows superior students to pursue philosophical studies at a more advanced level than is customary in undergraduate Philosophy programs. Students in the Honors Program will be required to do independent research and to write and defend an undergraduate thesis.

Admission Criteria


  1. Students must already have declared a major in Philosophy.
  2. Students must complete nine (9) hours in Philosophy at the 3000-level or higher (PHI 2101 - Introduction to Formal Logic  may count toward the nine hours).
  3. Students must have an overall grade point average of 3.5 or better, and their grade point average in Philosophy coursework must be at least a 3.50 or better.
  4. Students who wish to be considered for the Honors Program must request to be nominated by a member of the faculty. Once nominated by a faculty member, a majority of the faculty who have taught the student must approve the student’s admission to the Honors Program.

Program Requirements


In addition to completing the requirements for the Major in Philosophy, students must meet the following requirements:

  1. Students cannot receive a grade lower than a “B” in any Philosophy course, and their GPA in Philosophy coursework must be at least 3.50 to remain in, or be graduated from, the Honors Program.
  2. Students must write a senior thesis and undergo an oral examination on the thesis before a committee of two Philosophy faculty members. Students will register for three hours in directed study in Philosophy (PHI 4905 - Directed Study  or IDH equivalent), with supervision of Philosophy faculty, for work on their thesis. Students who are in the Honors College may use the same project to count for both Philosophy Honors and an Honors College thesis. In such cases, the student shall not register for directed study in PHI 4905 - Directed Study  as part of completing the thesis.
  3. Students must complete 36 credit hours in Philosophy.

Research Opportunities - College of Arts and Sciences


Undergraduate students in any degree program are able to participate in undergraduate research. Several options exist to show mentored undergraduate research activity on a student’s official transcript. Those who wish to enroll in an undergraduate research course should consult with their academic advisor to understand how the credit will apply towards the degree requirements. If no credit is needed, students may be eligible to enroll in the 0-credit IDS 4914  course. This course will not impact degree credits or GPA but will show on an official transcript and document the experience. The Office of High Impact Practices and Undergraduate Research is able to assist with further inquiries.

Advising Information - College of Arts and Sciences


Undergraduate Advising Information

The College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) Advising Team provides students with support to create timely graduation plans that will integrate both their academic and professional goals.  Each of our undergraduate programs has dedicated professional advisors with specialized knowledge and understanding of the major requirements, course offerings, undergraduate research, and career opportunities in their field.  Additionally, we have dedicated pre-health and prelaw advisors to help students prepare for admission to professional graduate programs.

 

CAS Academic Advisor Contact information can be found here: CAS Advisors

To schedule an advising appointment: Advising Appointments