Philosophy BA

The Philosophy Program at Florida Gulf Coast University Offers Broad Training in the History of Philosophy and Provides Students With Valuable Skills in Critical Thinking, Logic, Content Analysis, and Writing. Our Graduates Have Been Successful in a Wide Range of Professional and Academic Fields, and Have Been Admitted to Leading Law Schools and Graduate Programs.

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Career

What can you do with a Philosophy degree?

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Student Engagement

Clubs, Conferences, Civic Engagement, Outreach

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Student Success Stories

Faculty Highlights

Philosophy Events

Related Minors

Department Contacts

Culbertson, Carolyn

Program Coordinator/Professor, Philosophy

REED 0104

239-745-4238

cculbertson@fgcu.edu

Continental Phil, Feminist Phil, Phil of Language, Social Epistemology

Gunter, Kristina

Administrative Specialist II

REED 0220B

239-590-7263

kgunter@fgcu.edu

Concentrations

Law, Ethics, and Society Concentration

Accreditation
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Admissions Information
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Admissions Information for the 2024-2025 Catalog Year
If you are not yet an FGCU student, visit the Admissions Office Website
If you are a newly-admitted FGCU student please be sure to sign up for an Eagle View Orientation session. As part of this session you will be meeting with an academic advisor who will assist you in registering for classes for your major.
Admission Deadlines
Visit the Admissions Office Web site for information on admission deadlines of the university.
Program Requirements
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Program Requirements for the 2024-2025 Catalog Year
The General Education Program Website is located at https://www.fgcu.edu/academics/undergraduatestudies/generaleducation/
Program Progression and Additional Graduation Requirements
- Attend an orientation session.
- Sign an Advising Agreement document.
In addition to the program requirements, students must:
- Complete a minimum of 120 credits.
- Complete a minimum of 48 of the 120 credits at the upper division (3000 - 4999 level).
- Earn a cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all coursework attempted at FGCU.
- Satisfy the College-Level Skills and foreign language entrance requirements.
- Satisfy the Service-Learning requirement.
- Satisfy the Civic Literacy requirement.
- Satisfy the residency requirement: 30 of the last 60 credits must be completed at FGCU.
- Complete the summer course enrollment requirement.
- Submit an Application for Graduation by the deadline listed in the FGCU Academic Calendar.
Program Requirements
1. FGCU General Education Program (https://www.fgcu.edu/academics/undergraduatestudies/generaleducation/)
  To prevent or minimize excess hours, select general education courses that satisfy common prerequisite requirements for your intended major.
2. Common Prerequisites
  None
  
  FGCU students are encouraged to take several courses with the prefixes of PHH, PHI, PHM, PHP, or REL as part of their lower division requirements or electives.
3. Required Courses in the Major (15 credits)
  A minimum grade of C is required in each course
  
  IDS 3300 Foundations of Civic Engagement (3)
  PHH 3050 Ancient Philosophy (3)
  PHH 4051 Modern Philosophy (3)
  PHI 3130 Logic (3)
  PHI 4938 Capstone Seminar in Philosophy (3)
4. Restricted Electives in the Major/Concentration (21 credits)
  A minimum grade of C is required in each course. Courses used to fulfill the requirement in one group cannot be used to fulfill the requirement in another group.
  
  Select 9 credits from the following: (Of these, a maximum of 3 credits may come from LIT 4213 or LIT 4934 or POT 3003)
  LIT 4213 Literary Theory (3)
  LIT 4934 Advanced Topics in Crit Theory (3)
  PHH 3801 The Self in Eastern Philosophy (3)
  PHH 3930 Special Topics in Philosophy (3)
  PHI 1630 Contemporary Moral Issues (3)
  PHI 3223 Philosophy Human Communication (3)
  PHI 3456 Phil of Health and Illness (3)
  PHI 3670 Ethics in Theory and Practice (3)
  PHI 3720 Faith and Reason (3)
  PHI 3941 Philosophy Internship (1-3)
  PHI 4905 Directed Independent Study (3)
  PHM 3101 Philosophies of Liberation (3)
  PHM 3430 Topics in Philosophy of Law (3)
  POT 3003 Political Theorists (3)
  
  Select one of the following groupings:
  
  No concentration noted on transcript
  
  Select 3 credits from the following:
  PHI 2103 Critical Thinking (3)
  PHI 3670 Ethics in Theory and Practice (3)
  PHI 3720 Faith and Reason (3)
  
  Select 9 credits from the following:
  PHH 3500 Late Modern: Kant to Hegel (3)
  PHH 3931 ST History of Philosophy (3)
  PHI 2103 Critical Thinking (3)
  PHI 4905 Directed Independent Study (3)
  PHM 4123 Feminist Philosophy (3)
  PHP 3786 Existentialism (3)
  PHP 4930 Major Figures in Philosophy (3)(May be repeated once)
  
  Law, Ethics, and Society Concentration
  
  Complete the following:
  PHI 3670 Ethics in Theory and Practice (3)
  PHM 3430 Topics in Philosophy of Law (3)
  
  Select 6 credits from the following:
  PHI 1630 Contemporary Moral Issues (3)
  PHI 2103 Critical Thinking (3)
  PHM 3101 Philosophies of Liberation (3)
  PHM 4123 Feminist Philosophy (3)
5. University Requirements (3 credits)
  Select one of the following:
  IDS 3920 University Colloquium (3)
  Or at least 3 credits in sustainability coursework (SCGR Attribute)
6. Additional Electives - as needed to reach total credits required for the degree
Total Credits Required: 120
Degree Map
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Degree Maps are to be used as a general guideline for students. Some students scheduling needs may vary based upon completed courses and transfer credits. Please see your advisor for assistance and verification.
2024-2025 Philosophy BA Degree Map

2024-2025 Philosophy LES BA Degree Map

Additional Graduation Requirements include:
- A minimum of 120 credit hours.
- A minimum of 48 of the 120 hours must be at the upper division (3000 - 4999) level.
- A cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all coursework attempted at FGCU.
- A minimum grade of C for each course used to satisfy the following categories: common prerequisites, required courses in the major, and courses in the concentration.
- Satisfaction of the College-Level Skills and foreign language entrance requirements.
- Satisfaction of the Service Learning requirement (See www.fgcu.edu/connect).
- Satisfaction of the residency requirement: thirty of the last sixty credits must be completed at FGCU.
- Completion of the summer course enrollment requirement.
- Submit an online Application for Graduation via Gulfline by the deadline listed in the FGCU Academic Calendar.
Transfer Notes and Acceptable Substitutes

For All Majors: Students are strongly recommended to select required lower division electives that will enhance their General Education coursework and that will support their intended baccalaureate degree program. Students should consult with an academic advisor in their major degree area.
Course Description
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Official Course Descriptions

Search for official course descriptions by using the Course Description Search utility.

Go to the Course Descriptions Search Web page, then follow these steps:
1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select a course prefix from one of the SUBJECT dropdowns (required)
3. Enter search words in the TEXT field (optional, but will narrow the search results)
4. Press Search
Course Schedule
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Getting Started With the Course Schedule Search

Search for program courses by using the Course Schedule Search utility.

Go to the Course Schedule Search Web page, then follow these steps:
1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select one or more of the search options to narrow your results (for example, CAMPUS, COLLEGE, DEPARTMENT, LEVEL, PREFIX*, COURSE ATTRIBUTE**). For virtual or web courses, select VIRTUAL in the CAMPUS field.
3. Press Search.
*A course prefix is a three-letter designator for a major division of an academic discipline (for example, ACG for Accounting , BSC for Biological Science, ENC for English Composition). See the Degree Requirements page for a list of courses (with prefix and number) that can be used to fulfill degree requirements.

**A course attribute identifies specific characteristics of courses that can be used in a Degree Evaluation to satisfy a degree requirement. (Course attribute examples are Humanities courses - GEHM and Social Science courses - GESO.)
Learning Outcomes
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Academic Learning Compact

Consistent with its mission and guiding principles, Florida Gulf Coast University is committed to academic excellence and continuous quality improvement, as supported by a sound teaching-learning process. Within this process, students and instructors share responsibility for learning that is a movement from the simple to the complex, the concrete to the abstract, and the dependent to the independent. The Academic Learning Compact (ALC) initiative supports the teaching-learning process by clearly identifying expected core student learning outcomes in the areas of content/discipline knowledge and skills, communication skills, and critical thinking skills; aligning curricula with expectations; and using assessment to guide continuous improvement.

Content/Discipline Knowledge and Skills
Graduates will be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of important movements, figures, and themes in the history of philosophy.
2. Apply ideas and tools of argumentation from the history of philosophy beyond their immediate context.
3. Apply ethical reasoning to practical situations.
Content/Discipline knowledge and skills are assessed through papers in two required courses: PHH 3050 - Ancient Philosophy and PHI 4938 - Capstone Seminar in Philosophy.

Communication Skills

Graduates will be able to:
1. Apply principles of good reasoning to construct sound and persuasive written arguments.
2. Understand the audience for their writing and translate philosophical terms, when necessary, for their audience.
Communication skills are assessed through papers in one required course: PHI 4938 - Capstone Seminar in Philosophy.

Critical Thinking Skills

Graduates will be able to:
1. Understand and critically analyze theoretical texts to identify reasons, conclusions, and logical structure.
2. Identify uncritical and problematic assumptions in a variety of arguments.
3. Ability to synthesize information across various philosophical and disciplinary domains (e.g., texts, branches of philosophy, historical traditions, disciplines).
Critical Thinking Skills are assessed through papers and other projects in two required courses: PHI 3130 - Logic and PHI 4938 - Capstone Seminar in Philosophy.
Tuition, Fees, and Financial Assistance
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Tuition and Fees

Information on Tuition, Fees and estimated total Cost of Attendance is available on the Office of the Bursar web site.

Financial Aid Opportunities

Visit FGCU's Financial Aid Web site for information about grants, additional scholarships, loans, and student employment.