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Degree Programs

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Philosophy (Ph.B.)

Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Philosophy (Ph.B.) degrees must successfully complete at least 120 semester hours of credit in undergraduate courses. Five programs are open to qualified students at the college level: (a) the Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, (b) the Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy/Pre-Law, (c) the Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Scholar’s Track, (d) the Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy/Pre-Law, Scholar’s Track, and (e) the Bachelor of Philosophy.

Students in the School of Philosophy may choose a minor or a certificate program in another school, e.g., in Arts and Sciences, Business, Music, Drama, and Art, or Theology and Religious Studies. The minor comprises six courses, a certificate program up to eight. Students should consult with their advisor in philosophy to plan for including the minor or the certificate program in coursework. Students should also check the list of minor and certificate programs on the Undergraduate Studies website to see which courses are required.

Students who have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2 may choose a second major program (double-major) in another school.

In order to graduate, students must have a cumulative average of at least 2.0 in coursework at The Catholic University of America.

All courses taken to meet the requirements for a major in philosophy must be passed with a grade of C (including C-) or better. Students who fail to achieve a grade of C or better in a course required for a major in philosophy may repeat that course. Any course taken to fulfill requirements for the major, however, may only be repeated once.

In addition to coursework, students must pass the senior comprehensive examination administered in the Spring semester.

Students should normally take at least 15 semester hours of coursework for credit each semester. They will be permitted to over-elect one course in addition to the 15 semester hours only if they maintain at least a 3.0 average. Permission to over-elect or to make changes in the program of studies must be obtained in advance from the associate dean of the School of Philosophy.

Liberal Arts Requirements

Students participate in the University’s Liberal Arts Curriculum, which is described in the Undergraduate Announcements, section III. Students in the Scholar’s Track programs complete the Focus Area of the Liberal Arts Curriculum by choosing either a language concentration or a math and science concentration. Students who wish to pursue a second major or a minor may request to complete the Focus Area with courses from that major or minor program. Students in the Bachelor of Philosophy program complete the language concentration, while seminarians in that program pursue a pre-theology concentration.

Students pursuing the language concentration complete, in addition to the intermediate level language requirement,

  1. two courses in a second language at the introductory level (one of the two languages must be an ancient one; students entering the Ph.B. program as freshmen in Fall 2020 or later must study Latin at the intermediate level);
  2. two liberal arts courses approved for the Focus Area, to be chosen from theology, humanities, social sciences, math, and the natural sciences.

Students pursuing the math and science concentration complete, in addition to the foundational math and science courses,

  1. four courses in math; or
  2. four courses in natural science, chosen from biology, chemistry, or physics; or
  3. four courses in computer science; or
  4. four courses chosen from any of the disciplines listed above.

Seminarians pursue the pre-theology concentration and complete, in addition to the intermediate level language requirement,

  1. two courses in a second language at the introductory level (one of the two languages must be an ancient one; students entering the Ph.B. program as freshmen in Fall 2020 or later must study Latin at the intermediate level);
  2. the pre-theology sequence offered by the School of Theology and Religious Studies:
    1. TRS 504A Introduction to the Old Testament,
    2. TRS 504B Introduction to the New Testament,
    3. TRS 562A Foundations of Catholicism I,
    4. TRS 562B Foundations of Catholicism II.

Major Requirements

PHIL 201 and PHIL 202 are prerequisites for all philosophy courses in the major programs, except for students participating in the University Honors Program philosophy sequence, or, in exceptional cases, with the special permission of the associate dean.

Two courses may be taken for graduate credit and be applied to the fulfillment of course requirements for the Master or Arts in Philosophy or the Licentiate in Philosophy (Ph.L.). In the case of the Ph.L. degree, the total number of credits earned for the Ph.B. degree must be 126 or more. The two graduate courses would normally be PHIL 456 / PHIL 556 and a graduate course taken for the philosophy elective.

A student who fails to maintain an acceptable average (i.e., 3.0 in philosophy courses) may be dismissed from the program and may be required to relinquish any scholarship held.

 

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

The requirements for this major can be found at Philosophy - Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy Pre-Law

The requirements for this major can be found at Philosophy Pre-Law - Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Scholar's Program

The requirements for this major can be found at Philosophy, Scholar's Program - Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy Pre-Law, Scholar's Program

The requirements for this major can be found at Philosophy Pre-Law, Scholar's Program - Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Bachelor of Philosophy

The requirements for this major can be found at Philosophy - Bachelor of Philosophy (Ph.B.)

Six-year dual Ph.B.-S.T.B. program 

The School of Philosophy offers in cooperation with the School of Theology and Religious Studies a joint Ph.B.-S.T.B. Program that is completed in six years. The program, designed specifically for the circumstances and needs of the Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary, is open to all applicants.

This six-year dual Ph.B.-S.T.B. program is an integrated program of 64 three-credit courses leading to the two degrees. To complete this program in six years requires taking a total of four courses distributed in the first two summers of the program. The Ph.B. part of the program requires 40 courses for 120 credits distributed as follows:

  1. 16 philosophy courses for the major;
  2. 13 courses for the Liberal Arts Curriculum, including two intermediate level Latin courses;
  3. 2 courses in ancient Greek or a modern language;
  4. 6 courses in theology (counting towards the S.T.B.);
  5. 3 open elective courses.

The senior comprehensive examination is required. For details of the S.T.B. portion of the program, consult the School of Theology and Religious Studies.

 

Six-Year Bachelor of Arts-Juris Doctor Program

A cooperative program of the School of Philosophy with Catholic University's Columbus School of Law allows students to apply for admission to the Columbus School of Law after three years of undergraduate study. Acceptance depends upon a superior academic record, appropriate score on the Law School Admission Test, and an estimate of the student’s ability to pursue the study of law after the junior year. Initial steps to enter the program should be taken before the end of the sophomore year. It is preferable to plan for this option already during the freshman year. A grade-point average of 3.6 is required. Students apply to the Law School in the second semester of the junior year. Successful candidates receive the B.A. degree at the end of the fourth year and the J.D. degree two years thereafter.

During the fourth year of study, which is the senior year of the B.A. program and the first year of the J.D. program at the Law School, students are fully matriculated in the Law School and are required to pay the full tuition and fees charged for the J.D. program, less any financial aid or scholarship awarded.

Students will be considered for financial aid and competitive scholarships at the Law School, but eligibility under this program does not guarantee an award.

 

Requirements for the Minor in Philosophy

The requirements for the minor can be found at Philosophy - Minor

The minor in philosophy consists of six courses, namely, PHIL 201 and PHIL 202, or their Honors Program equivalents, and any four other philosophy courses.