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Major Requirements

All Philosophy Majors must complete a total of 30 credits in Philosophy, as follows:

• Two Core courses in Philosophy (6 credits)
• Eight Philosophy electives (24 credits):
  • 1 course in the History of Philosophy
  • 1 course in Knowledge and Reality
  • 1 course in Ethics and Value
  • 5 free electives

Lists of courses satisfying each of the three distribution requirements (2a-c) can be found on the Philosophy Department website. Students may take up to two cognate courses in other departments for elective credit toward the Philosophy major. The courses must be philosophical in content and/or substantially contribute to the enhancement of the student’s chosen area of study. Cognate courses must be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Students wanting further focus for their electives may select a track within the major. Tracks are satisfied by completing two electives from within the track area, in consultation with the major advisor. The Philosophy Department offers the following major tracks:

Science, Ethics, and Humanity Track

• Designed for students preparing for careers in science and medicine

Law, Public Policy, and Economics Track

• Designed for students preparing for careers in law, politics, economics, or business/finance

Philosophy, Religion, and the Arts Track

• Designed for students preparing for careers in theology, ministry, or the arts

Core Requirement in Philosophy

As part of the Core Curriculum at Boston College, all students take a two-semester Philosophy Core sequence. There are several ways to complete the Philosophy Core requirement:

• ±Ê±á±õ³¢1070–1071ÌýPhilosophy of the PersonÌýI and II
  • Fall/Spring: 3 credits per semester. Satisfies Philosophy Core.
• PHIL1090–1091ÌýPerspectives on Western Culture I and II
  • Fall/Spring: 6 credits per semester. Satisfies Philosophy Core and Theology Core.
• PHIL1088–1089ÌýPerson and Social ResponsibilityÌýI and IIÌý(PULSE)
  • Fall/Spring: 6 credits per semester. Satisfies Philosophy Core and Theology Core.
• PHIL 2150–2151 Philosophical Perspectives on Science
  • Fall/Spring: 3 credits per semester. Satisfies Philosophy Core. Designed for students majoring in the natural and social sciences.
• One of our newÌýEnduring QuestionsÌýcourses, available to freshmen only.
  • One 3-credit Philosophy Core course paired with a Core course from another discipline. Satisfies one semester of the two-semester Philosophy Core requirement. Students complete the second semester of Philosophy Core with Philosophy of the Person I or II.

It is strongly recommended that students complete the Philosophy Core requirement by the end of sophomore year. Core courses are foundational, providing skills and background knowledge presupposed by more advanced courses in the college. Philosophy of the Person, PULSE, and Perspectives are each two-semester sequences, with the second semester designed to build upon the first, and thus should be taken in order—e.g., Philosophy of the Person I before Philosophy of the Person II.

The Honors Program in Philosophy

The Philosophy Department offers highly qualified majors the opportunity to participate in a departmental honors program. Application to the honors program is by invitation only, based on GPA and/or nomination by a member of the faculty. Invitations to apply will be extended by the Director of Undergraduate studies in the fall of the junior year. Applications are due early in the spring of the junior year.

Accepted students will pursue a year-long research project in the senior year, under the direction of a faculty mentor, culminating in a thesis of approximately 50–75 pages. Honors students participate in a Philosophy Honors Seminar in the fall semester of senior year and complete the project in consultation with a faculty advisor in the spring.

The department arranges seminar meetings and social events to provide an intellectual community for honors program participants. The Department also participates in the Scholar of the College Program, details of which can be found in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences section.

Perspectives Program I–IV

The Perspectives Program at Boston College is a four-year interdisciplinary program centered upon the great books of the Western intellectual tradition. It integrates the humanities and natural sciences in order to help students work out for themselves a set of coherent answers to such questions as the following: Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? The Perspectives Program seeks (1) to educate the whole person, (2) to help students develop skills in practical living and critical thinking, and (3) to form students who are intelligent, responsible, reasonable, attentive, and loving.

Students in the Perspectives Program complete the Philosophy major by completing the following sequence of four Perspectives courses:

• Perspectives I
  • PHIL1090–1091 (THEO1090–1091) Perspectives on Western Culture I and II
  • Fall/Spring: 6 credits per semester. Satisfies 6-credit Philosophy Core and 6-credit Theology Core. Normally open to freshmen only.
• Perspectives II
  • ±«±·´¡³§1104–1105/±«±·´¡³§1106–1107 Modernism and the Arts I and II
  • Fall/Spring: 6 credits per semester. Satisfies 6-credit Philosophy Core, 3-credit Fine Arts Core, 3-credit Literature Core.
• Perspectives III
  • ±«±·´¡³§1109–1110/±«±·´¡³§1111–1112 Horizons of the New Social Sciences I and II
  • Fall/Spring: 6 credits per semester. Satisfies 6-credit Philosophy Core, 6-credit Social Sciences Core.
• Perspectives IV
  • ±«±·´¡³§1119–1120/±«±·´¡³§1121–1122 New Scientific Visions I and II
  • Fall/Spring: 6 credits per semester. Satisfies 6-credit Philosophy Core and either 6-credit Natural Science Core or 3-credit Mathematics Core, 3-credit Natural Science Core.

Each Perspectives course is a year-long, 12-credit course. Each is designed to fulfill the Core requirements of the relevant departments. While Perspectives I is normally open only to freshmen, Perspectives II, III, and IV are open to students at any rank, and need not be taken in order. Descriptions of Perspectives II, III, and IV are in the University Courses section of the course catalog.

The Perspectives Concentration in Philosophy

By taking more than one Perspectives course, students can pursue a Perspectives Concentration towards either a major or a minor in Philosophy. Students who complete any three Perspectives courses will, in addition to fulfilling various Core requirements, fulfill the requirements for a minor in Philosophy. Students who complete all four Perspectives courses, plus two philosophy elective courses, fulfill the requirements for a major in Philosophy.

Admission to the Perspectives concentration in philosophy comes at the end of the sophomore year. A minimum GPA of 3.50 will be required for admission. Questions concerning the requirements for the concentration, or other opportunities and possibilities within theÌýPerspectives Program, can be directed toÌýperspectives@bc.edu.

The PULSE Program for Service Learning

With its mission to educate Boston College students for social justice, the PULSE Program for Service Learning educates more than 500 undergraduates each year through the integration of community-based social service and social advocacy fieldwork with the study of theology and philosophy. The PULSE Program offers its signature Core course, "Person and Social Responsibility," in addition to a few elective courses. For a full description of the program, please visit the PULSE website atÌý.

Fifth Year B.A./M.A. Program

Undergraduate Philosophy majors may opt to enter a five-year B.A./M.A. program. Application to the program will normally take place during the junior year.

Students admitted to the B.A./M.A. program will follow the curriculum for Philosophy majors, except that two courses taken during the senior year must be eligible for graduate credit. These two courses will count toward both the M.A. and the B.A. The remainder of the M.A. may be completed by taking eight additional graduate courses, submitting an M.A. qualifying paper in the fifth year, and satisfying the M.A. language requirement.

Interested undergraduate Philosophy majors should consult with the Director of the Graduate Program during junior year and must apply to the Graduate School of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences. Expectations are that such applicants will have achieved an overall GPA of at least 3.33 and a major GPA of 3.5 or above. For internal applicants, the application fee is waived, and the GRE is not required.