Philosophy Minor

The Philosophy Minor - is a 15 credit hour program designed to give students a solid grounding in both the method of philosophical argumentation and in some of the movements, topics and questions of philosophy.  The minor is flexible and designed to be compatible with a wide range of majors.

Why Minor in Philosophy?  The best reason to minor in philosophy, or anything else, is because it interests you.  But training in philosophy brings with it a number of practical benefits as well.  For one thing, philosophy offers rigorous training in analyzing and constructing arguments.  This means that it should help you be a more effective reader and writer, skills that will help you in any major, and later in your professional life.  Philosophy teaches you to think straight and to communicate more persuasively.  In addition, the theoretical foundations of most of the humanities and social sciences, as well as some of the natural sciences, were originally set down by philosophers.  This means that a good background in philosophy will enhance your understanding of your major discipline.

Philosophy is an excellent option if you are considering almost any type of graduate or professional school.  Statistics aren't available for minors, but students with a major in philosophy have excellent mean scores on aptitude and admissions tests such as the GRE, LSAT, GMAT, and MCAT.

What are the Requirements?

Complete 5 courses from the following:

• PHI 2000   Introduction to Philosophy (3)
  OR
  PHI 3106   Principles of Rhetoric and Argumentation (3)
• Any 3xxx or 4xxx courses with the prefixes PHI, PHH, or PHM (12)

Students have the option to select one course from the following list:

• LIT   4013     Literary Theory
• ENV 3020    Environmental Philosophies
• MAN 2062   Ethical Issues
• POT   3003   Political Theorists