2024-2025 Academic Catalog
Philosophy, BA
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About the Program
 What is there, what do we know, and how are we to live? Philosophy is the systematic investigation of perennial human questions about the nature of reality, the limits of knowledge, and the foundations of value.
Courses in philosophy develop a variety of skills that contribute to professional success, engaged citizenship, and a well-rounded life. These include analytical thinking, abstract reasoning, and creative problem-solving, abilities useful in every career. Philosophy also fosters the ability to build and critique an argument (a skill valued highly by law schools); clarity in written and oral communication; and increased awareness of diverse solutions to social, political, and ethical problems. If you want to learn how to think rather than what to think, philosophy is the field of study for you!
Degree Requirements
- 120 Credit Hours
- Minimum grade of C required for ENGL 10400 and all Foreign Language and Philosophy courses
- Minimum GPA of 2.0 required for graduation
- Certain courses may only be available at one campus location
PNW General Education Core (30 Credits Minimum)
CHESS College Core (24 Credits)
- Four (4) College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences (CHESS) electives from courses outside of the student’s major. Electives may not be used toward the fulfillment of General Education requirements (*See notes below) (12 Credits)
- World Language - Proficiency through Level IV in one world language (12 Credits)
*Requirements for transfer students are based on the number of transfer credits accepted at PNW as follows:
- Students who transfer with less than 30 credits need to take 4 CHESS Core Electives (12 credits)
- Students who transfer with 30 credits or more and with less than 60 credits need to take 3 CHESS Core Electives (9 credits)
- Students who transfer with 60 credits or more and with less than 90 credits need to take 2 CHESS Core Electives (6 credits)
- Students who transfer with 90 credits or more need to take 1 CHESS Core Elective (3 credits)
Major Core (30 Credits)
- Introductory Philosophy Course (3 Credits): PHIL 11000 The Big Questions: Introduction to Philosophy
- Ethics Course (6 Credits): PHIL 11100 Introduction To Ethics and one of the following:
- Aesthetics Course (3 Credits): Choose one:
- The Meaning of Life (3 Credits): Choose one:
- Metaphysics and Theory of Knowledge (6 Credits): Choose two:
- History of Philosophy (3 Credits): Choose one:
- Philosophy Electives (6 Credits): Choose two additional courses, drawn from the lists above, at least two courses from the lists above must be at the 40000-level.
Other Required Courses (36 Credits)
- Additional Computer Science, Math, Science, or Computer Course (3 Credits)
- Free EXL Elective (3 Credits)
- Free Electives (30 Credits)
Civics Literacy Proficiency
The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue Northwest students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry.
Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic knowledge, and completing one of three paths:
- Attending six approved civics-related events and completing an assessment for each; or
- Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and completing an assessment for each; or
- Earning a passing grade for one of the approved courses (or transferring in approved AP or departmental credit in lieu of taking a course)
For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.
Total 120 Credits Required
Requirements
Minimum Grade and Grade Point Average (GPA): Minimum grade of C required for ENGL 10400 and all Foreign Language and Philosophy courses; 2.0 GPA
Experiential Learning (EL): One EL course required, select from the Experiential Learning course list
General Education Core: General Education notations can be found within the course description, click on a course to see if it meets a Gen Ed requirement
Milestone Courses noted by (m) next to the course title have been identified as being critical to your success in this field of study
Please see the Additional Information and Guidelines section below for more information.
Semester 4 (15 Credits)
- CIS 20400 - Introduction To Computer-Based Systems
- PHIL 11100 - Introduction To Ethics (m)
- CHESS Elective (See Note 4)
- Metaphysics and Theory of Knowledge - select one: PHIL 12000 , PHIL 15000 , PHIL 20600 , PHIL 22100 , PHIL 23000 , PHIL 23100 , PHIL 29300 , PHIL 33200 , PHIL 33400 , PHIL 40100 , or PHIL 49000
- World Language Level IV (See Note 1)
Semester 5 (15 Credits)
- PSY 12000 - Elementary Psychology
- CHESS Elective (See Note 4)
- Ethics - select one: PHIL 29300 , PHIL 32100 , PHIL 32400 , PHIL 32500 , PHIL 32700 , PHIL 33600 , or PHIL 49000
- Math, Statistics, Science, or Computer Course (See Note 2)
- Metaphysics and Theory of Knowledge - select one: PHIL 12000 , PHIL 15000 , PHIL 20600 , PHIL 22100 , PHIL 23000 , PHIL 23100 , PHIL 29300 , PHIL 33200 , PHIL 33400 , PHIL 40100 , or PHIL 49000
Semester 7 (15 Credits)
- Free Elective
- Free Elective
- Free Elective
- Free EXL Elective (See Note 5)
- Philosophy Elective (See Note 3)
Semester 8 (15 Credits)
- CHESS Elective (See Note 4)
- Free Elective
- Free Elective
- Free Elective
- Philosophy Elective (See Note 3)
Additional Information and Guidelines
Note 1: World Languages – Must complete 4 semesters of the same world language
Note 2: Additional Math, Statistics, Science or Computer Course - Choose any MA (except MA 11500 ), STAT, SCI, or CIS course
Note 3: 6 of the 30 credits in the Philosophy Major program must be at the 400-level
Note 4: Requirements for transfer students are based on the number of transfer credits accepted at PNW as follows:
- Students who transfer with less than 30 credits need to take 4 CHESS Core Electives (12 credits)
- Students who transfer with 30 credits or more and with less than 60 credits need to take 3 CHESS Core Electives (9 credits)
- Students who transfer with 60 credits or more and with less than 90 credits need to take 2 CHESS Core Electives (6 credits)
- Students who transfer with 90 credits or more need to take 1 CHESS Core Elective (3 credits)
Note 5: One free elective must be an EXL course
College Scorecard
The U.S. Department of Education has created a scorecard for each university and its programs. The scorecard shows data for the university such as graduation rate, average annual cost, and median earnings. Then, when certain minimum standards have been met, data are available for a specific program. That data could include median earnings, median total debt, and number of graduates. The link below will help you learn more:
https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?490805-Purdue-University-Northwest&fos_code=3801&fos_credential=3
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