32 units in addition to Core Philosophical Inquiry and Ethics and Justice courses
Core
Two courses meeting University Core requirements (one meeting the Philosophical Inquiry requirement and the other meeting the Ethics and Justice requirement) must normally be taken through the Department of Philosophy and will be counted toward the major.
Logic
Symbolic Logic [PHIL 2010]: A course in elementary modern logic, including the logic of truth functions and quantification theory, and their application to arguments in ordinary English. Fulfills Core Quantitative Reasoning Flag requirement.
The History Sequence
- Ancient Philosophy [PHIL 3510]: A study of pre-Socratic thought, Plato, and Aristotle.
- Medieval Philosophy [PHIL 3520]: A study of the major philosophical movements from Augustine to Ockham. Fulfills Core Faith and Reason requirement.
- Modern Philosophy I [PHIL 3530]: A study of 17th century Rationalism and 18th century Empiricism.
- Modern Philosophy II [PHIL 3540]: A study of Kant and post-Kantian developments, including 19th century German Idealism.
Students are very strongly urged to take the History Sequence in chronological order.
Elective Requirement
Three electives in Philosophy, at least two of which must be upper-division courses taken at LMU. At least one elective must be in contemporary philosophy.
Senior Assessment (PHIL 4990)
A 0-unit survey regarding students' experience as Philosophy majors.
Honors in Philosophy
To graduate with Honors in Philosophy, a Philosophy major must take two additional Philosophy electives, at least one of which must be an upper-division course, and maintain a minimum GPA in Philosophy of 3.7.
GPA
An overall GPA of at least 2.0 is required for students wishing to declare and maintain a Philosophy major.
See also: Philosophy, B.A. in the LMU Bulletin.
At Loyola Marymount University, the Philosophy Major Program aims to prepare students for graduate study in Philosophy.
Graduates of the program have pursued further studies at Boston College, Emory University, Fordham University, Catholic University, St. Louis University, UC Santa Barbara, University of Toronto, University of Notre Dame, Marquette University, New School for Social Research, San Francisco State University, UC San Diego, Claremont Graduate School, UC Riverside, Loyola University in Chicago, and University of Pennsylvania. Graduate professors at distinguished institutions have noted the excellent preparation our graduates bring to advanced studies. Seven of our graduates have been awarded Lonergan Fellowships for graduate study at the M.A. level at Boston College.
Graduates of our program have held or presently hold teaching positions in Philosophy Departments at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., Purdue University, UC Santa Cruz, Fordham University, University of Notre Dame, St. Mary's University in Minnesota, Carnegie Mellon, St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, University of Vera Cruz in Mexico, Santa Clara University, Providence College, Marquette University, and here at Loyola Marymount.
The Major Program also prepares students for a wide range of careers in such fields as Management, Systems Analysis, Education, Government, Medicine, Publishing and, especially, Law. Reliable studies have shown Philosophy to be one of the best pre-Law majors. Many of our graduates are currently practicing law, and several are serving as judges. Philosophy majors are typically among the highest achievers on the Law School Admissions Test [LSAT].
Learn more at Philosophy: The Major for Life.