Major and Minor Requirements

The major in philosophy at Bucknell consists of a minimum of eight courses, which must include the following:

• PHIL 98 or 100 or 103 or 201 or 220
• PHIL 103 (Logic) or 201 (Symbolic Logic)
• PHIL 205 (Greek Philosophy) and 207 (Development of Modern Philosophy)
• PHIL 213 (Ethics) or 228 (Contemporary Ethical Theory)
• two 300-level seminars or one 300-level seminar and either PHIL 323 or PHIL 321 & 322
• at least one additional elective course from the offerings in philosophy.

The philosophy major at Bucknell is designed to prepare students well for advanced work in philosophy, and some of Bucknell's philosophy students have gone on to do advanced work in philosophy at a number of the best graduate programs across the country. But philosophy at Bucknell has also prepared many students for a number of other vocations and supplemented their work in other fields. For this reason, philosophy is often chosen as a second major by students whose other major is preparing them for a specific vocation. In recent years, for example, students have majored in philosophy and economics, philosophy and political science, philosophy and biology, and philosophy and psychology.

The minor in philosophy at Bucknell consists of a set of four courses, two of which must be at the 200-level or above. Many such combinations of courses are possible, and so students have focussed their philosophy minors on such areas as the history of western philosophy, logic and the philosophy of science, and existentialism and phenomenology.