Major Requirements
UCLA Philosophy Department
Faculty Advisor: John Carriero
382 Dodd Hall, (310) 206-3475
Undergraduate Counselor: Anna Laven
329 Dodd Hall, (310) 206-1356
Assistant Advisor : Tim Doyle
Preparation for the major
Required--Four lower division courses:
Philosophy 7 or 21, 22, 31, and one other lower division
course in philosophy.
(TOTAL 16 UNITS)
Major
Required--Thirteen upper division (100 series) or graduate (200
series) philosophy courses as follows:
Philosophy 100A, 100B, and 100C (which do not count toward
any group requirement)
7 courses chosen from Group I - Group IV with 2 courses in each
of any 3 Groups and 1 course in the remaining Group.
Group I--History (Courses 101A-119; 201-220)
Group II--Logic/Semantics (Courses 124-136; 221A-233)
Group III--Ethics and Value Theory (Courses 150-166; 241-M257)
Group IV--Metaphysics/Epistemology (Courses 170-188; 271-289)
plus any 3 upper division/graduate philosophy courses. (TOTAL
52 UNITS)
* Special Studies courses (199) may be applied toward
the major but not toward a Group requirement. A maximum of eight units
may be applied.
* No course intended to satisfy the major or preparation
for the major may be taken on a pass/not pass basis.
* An overall GPA of 2.0 (in courses for the major) is
required for completion of the degree.
Transfer credits
Philosophy courses taken at another institution that transfer in
by title may count for a requirement on the prep (lower division) or major (upper
division), but you must see the Undergraduate Counselor. Please do not assume
a course will automatically count because it has the same title as a UCLA course;
the department must make a determination, and, if the course is equivalent, submit
a petition to place the subsitution on your official Degree Progress Report. Supporting
documents such as the syllabus and the final exam are very important in making
this determination. A transfer course that you intend to use to satisfy the 4th
lower division course on the prep must be petitioned at the department.
Emphasis
Philosophy, with its exploration of nature and values and
of the possibility and means of knowledge, lies at the heart of culture
and at the foundation of many other disciplines. In method, the UCLA department
is analytic in orientation. Its faculty is strong in the history of philosophy,
logic and philosophy of language, ethics and value theory, and metaphysics.
However, no regular faculty members specialize in current continental European
philosophy (e.g. existentialism, phenomenology, Marxism) or oriental philosophy,
although courses in European philosophy are offered by the department.
Skills and interests compatible with the major
Good writing skills; analytical thinking; mathematical skills
(for a logic concentration); interest in morality, law, politics, religion,
science, history or mathematics.
Departmental honors
To be admitted to the honors program you must complete three upper-division philosophy courses at UCLA and have an overall 3.70 in those courses, and you must apply to be admitted (see the advisors listed above for help).
After you are admitted to the honors program, you must meet the directed study requirement. The most common way to do this will be to take two two-unit courses (Philosophy 198A and Philosophy 198B) in connection with two different upper-division courses. In Philosophy 198, you will do independent extra work related to the upper-division course, to be determined by the upper-division course's instructor. Although students will usually take Philosophy 198 at the same time as the upper-division course, they do not have to do so. To count the upper-division course and Philosophy 198 toward the honors requirement, a student must receive an A- (or better) in both courses. There are other ways to satisfy the directed study requirement. With the approval of the department's honors advisor, you may substitute work done in an undergraduate seminar (Philosophy 196), a graduate course, or a four-unit Philosophy 199 (in which you produce a substantial original piece of research or its equivalent).
In addition to the directed study requirement, you will need a 3.70 average in philosophy courses (both lower- and upper-division) that you have taken at UCLA.
Finally, the department may award highest departmental honors if it judges that a student has done exceptional work in satisfaction of the directed study requirement.
These requirements go into effect in the fall of 2004 and apply to all new majors. Some previous majors attempting to receive honors under the old rules may not qualify under the new rules (the GPA requirements may present a problem in some cases). If you have already taken a graduate course and received an A- or better, you will automatically be allowed to continue under the old rules. Other students hoping to qualify under the old rules should see one of the advisors listed above.
Extras
There is a Departmental Colloquium approximately every other
Friday, at 3:00 PM, and a Graduate Student Colloquium that meets two to
three times per quarter. There is also an Undergraduate Philosophy Students'
Association and a Common Room (399 Dodd Hall - open M-F, 8-5pm).
Lower division philosophy courses are open to all students.
Only 7, 21 and 22 are designed for majors. Titles and descriptions in the
catalog should be consulted for subjects of interest, and for pre-requisites
at the upper division and graduate level.
Lower division lectures are quite large and are taught
by a professor, while discussion sections are small and are taught by a
teaching assistant. Upper division courses range in size from 25 - 75 students,
with an average of 25 to 40 enrolled.
Career opportunities
The bachelor's degree in philosophy is excellent preparation
for law school and for graduate work in philosophy. Courses in ethics are
also recommended for medical students who may find it necessary in their
work to make moral decisions, and to take moral stands. A logic specialty
coupled with some courses in mathematics is excellent preparation for entering
into the field of computers and other technological fields.
Graduate school
The graduate program in Philosophy at UCLA is rated among the top
in the country. The Program at UCLA is for those intending to earn a Ph.D. Teaching
is perhaps the most common career following graduate school. (See the Undergraduate
Counselor, 329 Dodd Hall, 206-1356, for more details.)