Program: Philosophy | BA - Eastern Michigan University

May 07, 2025

2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog

Whether you want to explore the most fundamental questions of existence, hone critical thinking and communication skills highly prized by employers, or prepare yourself for scoring highly on graduate and professional exams, the Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy is for you. A degree in philosophy prepares you to think critically, communicate effectively, and prepare for a changing world. The degree doesn’t train you for a job. It helps you prepare for your entire future.

Learn

All philosophy courses focus on careful reading, thinking, and clear expression. You may select from a wide array of content—from applied ethics to non-Western philosophy–to meet the requirements of the major, which include courses in values (ethics, aesthetics, justice), questions regarding reality and knowledge, history of philosophy, logic and critical reasoning, and global or feminist perspectives. Students master the skills of reading, critical thinking, and analysis essential to success in the professional world; develop the abilities to think and write clearly, and the capacity to grasp the intricacies of difficult problems facing the world today.

Opportunities

Students have opportunities to present their original work at the annual EMU Undergraduate Philosophy Conference and the Undergraduate Symposium and to publish their work in EMU’s undergraduate journal, Acta Cogitata.

Department Information

History & Philosophy, College of Arts & Sciences

James Egge, Ph.D. | Department Head | 701 Pray-Harrold | 734.487.1018 | jegge@emich.edu

Advisor Information

J. Michael Scoville, Ph.D. | Associate Professor | 701 Pray-Harrold | 734.487.1018 | jscovil1@emich.edu

General Education Requirements:

For specific General Education requirements, click here or print a General Education Worksheet

Major Requirements: 33 hours

The Philosophy major consists of 33 credit hours, 24 of which must be at the 200 level or above.

Required Courses: 15 hours

Satisfactorily complete at least one course in each of the following five core areas, with a minimum of twelve credit hours at the 300 or 400 level.

I. Logic and Reasoning | One course from the following
PHIL 181 - Logic and Model Theory | GEQR 3 hrs
PHIL 280 - Philosophy and the Fundamentals of Scientific Reasoning | GEKH 3 hrs
PHIL 281 - Symbolic Logic 3 hrs
Only one course from the following may be counted towards this major
PHIL 120 - Introduction to Critical Reasoning | GEKH 3 hrs
PHIL 130 - Introduction to Logic 3 hrs
II. History of Philosophy | One course from the following
PHIL 330W - History of Philosophy: Ancient | GEWI 3 hrs
PHIL 331W - History of Philosophy: Modern | GEWI 3 hrs
PHIL 332W - History of Philosophy: 19th Century | GEWI 3 hrs
III. Values | One course from the following
PHIL 212 - Philosophy of Art | GEKH 3 hrs
PHIL 216 - Philosophy, Technology, and Digital Life | GEKH 3 hrs
PHIL 220 - Ethics | GEKH 3 hrs
PHIL 221 - Business Ethics | GEKH 3 hrs
PHIL 223 - Medical Ethics | GEKH 3 hrs
PHIL 224 - Ethics and Food | GEKH 3 hrs
PHIL 225 - Philosophy & Society | GEKH 3 hrs
PHIL 229 - Environmental Ethics | GEKH 3 hrs
PHIL 260 - Existentialism | GEKH 3 hrs
PHIL 310W - Aesthetics | GEWI 3 hrs
PHIL 326W - Philosophy & Sexuality | GEWI 3 hrs
PHIL 355W - Philosophy of Law | GEWI 3 hrs
PHIL 370W - Philosophy and Narrative | GEWI 3 hrs
PHIL 420W - Ethical Theory | GEWI 3 hrs
PHIL 423W - Philosophical Perspectives on Disability | GEWI 3 hrs
PHIL 424W - Food Justice | GEWI 3 hrs
PHIL 426W - Topics in Gender and Philosophy | GEWI 3 hrs See note
PHIL 429W - Topics in Environmental Philosophy | GEWI 3 hrs
PHIL 470W - Twentieth Century European Philosophy | GEWI 3 hrs
IV. Epistemology and Metaphysics | One course from the following
PHIL 215 - Philosophy of Religion | GEKH 3 hrs
PHIL 325W - Theory of Knowledge | GEWI 3 hrs
PHIL 375W - Metaphysics | GEWI 3 hrs
PHIL 426W - Topics in Gender and Philosophy | GEWI 3 hrs See note
PHIL 427 - Social Epistemology 3 hrs
PHIL 442W - Philosophy of Mind | GEWI 3 hrs
PHIL 443 - Philosophical Approaches to Moral Psychology 3 hrs
PHIL 460W - Philosophy of Language | GEWI 3 hrs
PHIL 480W - Philosophy of Science | GEWI 3 hrs
PHIL 481W - Philosophy of the Life Sciences | GEWI 3 hrs
PHIL 495W - Phenomenology | GEWI 3 hrs
V. Eastern and Global | One course from the following
PHIL 226 - Feminist Theory | GEGA or GEKH 3 hrs
PHIL 228 - Global Ethics | GEGA or GEKH 3 hrs
PHIL 291 - Introduction to Asian Philosophy | GEGA 3 hrs
PHIL 292 - Philosophy of Buddhism 3 hrs
PHIL 391W - Early Chinese Philosophy | GEWI 3 hrs
Note | PHIL 426W satisfies either area III or IV, depending on its specific content. It may only be used to satisfy one area requirement.

Restricted Elective Courses: 18 hours

Select an additional 18 credit hours from above or any PHIL course (100-499), not already taken.

Course		Credit hrs.





Note \| Only PHIL 100 or PHIL 110 can count towards this major, not both.

Minor Requirement:

This major requires a minor | For a list of available minors, please see Academic Programs or contact your major advisor.

Program Total:

Students must earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level or above.

Beginning in Fall 2022, all baccalaureate degree programs for all undergraduates (regardless of catalog year) will require a minimum of 120 credit hours for completion.

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for the fulfillment of the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult the online catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

Earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level and above. Courses with numbers below 100 will not be counted toward this degree requirement. At most 8 credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses will be counted toward this requirement.
Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below).
Complete a Writing Intensive (GEWI) Course in your major.
Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement. (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details.)
Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor; students should check requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits in excess of the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 124 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
- Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
- Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
- Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; the internal review of such courses is conducted by individual departments/schools within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credits for transferred courses; grades are not used in the calculation of an EMU GPA.
Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU in order to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses taken at EMU and those applied to a student’s major or minor will be used in the calculation of their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or with similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.