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Undergraduate Resources Majors and Minors Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Pre-law

Department of Philosophy College of Liberal Arts

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Majors and Minors - Related Links

  • Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy
  • Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Pre-law
  • Minor in Philosophy
  • Minor in Religious Studies

Contact Us

Dr. Gregory Gilson
Professor, Chair of Philosophy
Department of Philosophy
ELABS 342
Email: gregory.gilson@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 665-3562

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Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Pre-law

The Department of Philosophy offers a major in Philosophy within the Bachelor of Arts degree, as well as a minor in Philosophy. The study of philosophy can serve many useful purposes, but perhaps the most important are:

Training in philosophy helps one think more clearly, more perceptively, and more effectively. Regardless of one's personal and occupational goals, and regardless of the projects in which one is interested, being able to think clearly and effectively about them is important. Americans today switch careers (not just jobs) two to three times on average over their lives. More than ever it is important to have the learning, critical thinking, and analytical skills that philosophy provides to be able to transition between different professions.

The study of philosophy uniquely helps one to better understand and appreciate oneself, the world outside, and how the two are related. In order to live a happy and fulfilled life, it is important to make sense of life and one's place in it. The satisfaction of that need is at the core of philosophy.

A major in Philosophy will provide strong preparation for a variety of careers, particularly careers in K-12 teaching, business, law, medicine, public policy, the ministry, and college teaching. A minor in Philosophy will provide excellent support for majors in numerous fields, including history, government, English, psychology, sociology, math and certain areas of science and business administration.

 

Core Curriculum - 42 Hours

The Core Curriculum serves as a broad foundation for the undergraduate degree. All candidates for a bachelor’s degree must achieve core student learning outcomes, including communication, critical thinking, empirical and quantitative skills, teamwork, personal responsibility and social responsibility, by completing courses within each category or component area of the Core Curriculum as outlined below.

The University has approved specific courses that satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements. Approved courses can be found on the  Core Curriculum Page. Students seeking the most efficient way to complete the core curriculum and major or minor requirements are advised to take approved courses that can fulfill both requirements. Although core curriculum courses can also be used to fulfill major or minor requirements, earned credits hours are only applied once.

Major Requirements - 60 Hours

Required Courses - 12 Hours

Philosophy Core 
Philosophy Core
PHIL 1340 Introduction to Logic
PHIL 3301 Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 3303 Modern Philosophy (1600-1800)
PHIL 4380 Senior Seminar

Prescribed Electives - 21 Hours

A minimum of 15 advanced of prescribed electives must be completed.

Metaphysics or Epistemology - 3 hours

Choose from:
Metaphysics or Epistemology
PHIL 4310 Epistemology
PHIL 4312 Metaphysics

Value Theory - 3 hours

Choose from:
Value Theory
PHIL 1310 Ethics, Happiness, and the Good Life
PHIL 1312 Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy
PHIL 1330 Philosophy, Art, and Film
PHIL 2306 Introduction to Ethics
PHIL 2322 Ethics, Health, and Culture
PHIL 2326 Ethics, Technology, and Society
PHIL 3330 Aesthetics/Philosophy of Art
PHIL 3352 / RELS 3352 Religion, Spirituality, Ecology
PHIL 4302 Special Topics in Applied Ethics
PHIL 4320 Moral Theory
PHIL 4322 Social and Political Philosophy
PHIL 4328 Environmental Philosophy

Diversity and Pluralism in Philosophy - 3 hours

Choose from:
Diversity and Pluralism in Philosophy
PHIL 1304 / RELS 1304 Introduction to World Religions
PHIL 1305 Introduction to Latin American Philosophy
PHIL 1306 Introduction to Asian Philosophy
PHIL 1362 Race, Sexuality, and Class
PHIL 3307 / RELS 3307 Indigenous Philosophies and Religions
PHIL 3354 / RELS 3354 Islam
PHIL 3355 / RELS 3355 Buddhism
PHIL 3356 / RELS 3356 Judaism
PHIL 3360 Feminist Philosophy
PHIL 3365 / MASC 3365 Chicana and Latin American Feminisms
PHIL 4305 Special Topics in Latin American Philosophy
PHIL 4345 Mexican/Mexican-American Philosophy

Philosophy Electives - 12 hours

Choose from  additional  philosophy ( PHIL )  courses  not used to fulfill other requirements.

Pre-Law Concentration - 27 hours

Philosophy on the Law & Justice - 3 hours

Philosophy on the Law & Justice
PHIL 3370 Philosophy of Law

Social and Political Philosophy - 3 hours

Choose from:
Social and Political Philosophy
PHIL 1312 Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy
PHIL 4322 Social and Political Philosophy

Political and Economic Philosophy - 6 hours

Choose from:
Political and Economic Philosophy
PHIL 4318 Philosophy of Food
PHIL 4323 Radical Political Philosophy
PHIL 4325 Capitalism and Philosophy of Economics
PHIL 4327 Philosophy of Propaganda

Reasoning, Rhetoric, and Truth - 6 hours

Choose from:
Reasoning, Rhetoric, and Truth
PHIL 1300 Critical Thinking
PHIL 3340 Intermediate Logic
PHIL 4310 Epistemology

Pre-Law Prescribed Electives - 9 hours

Choose from:
Pre-Law Prescribed Electives
BLAW 3337 Business Law I
COMM 1315 Public Speaking
COMM 2335 Argumentation and Debate
COMM 4315 Persuasive Communication
CRIJ 1306 Court Systems and Practices
CRIJ 4356 Law and Society
CRIJ 4361 Comparative Criminal Justice Systems
ENGL 4344 Writing for Lawyers
HIST 3329 American Legal History
HIST 3345 History of England to 1688
MASC 3332 / HIST 3332 Mexican American History
MATH 1342 Elementary Statistical Methods
POLS 2350 Introduction to Political Economy
POLS 3353 Urban Political Economy
POLS 3356 U.S. Economic Policy
POLS 4310 U.S. Judicial Process
POLS 4311 U.S. Constitutional Law - Federalism
POLS 4312 U.S. Constitutional Law - Civil Liberties
POLS 4390 Legal Research and Writing I
PSYC 2301 General Psychology
PSYC 4342 Psychology and Law

Free Electives - 18 hours

Free elective credit hours at the advanced level may be needed to achieve the institutional minimum of 42 advanced hours.

Advanced Minimum Credit Hours: 42

TOTAL CREDIT HOURS: 120

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