I Have a Philosophy Question

The major in Philosophy

The philosophy worksheet that I give to students is a helpful tool to track your progress.  It might also be useful to read the information in the undergraduate catalog and/or the information posted by the Philosophy Dept.

Additional requirements:

As a Philosophy major you will earn a Bachelor of Arts degree that will be conferred by the College of Arts & Sciences.  You will also need to complete the additional requirements that are detailed on my Graduation Requirements worksheet.  The General Degree Requirements for the College of Arts & Sciences are part of those requirements and you must also choose and complete the requirements for a minor or an additional major .  Also you must accumulate at least 120 Earned Hours of which 40 must come from 3000 or 4000-level courses.  You must also be aware of and not exceed the limit on the number of hours taken in coursework that is "outside" of the College of Arts & Sciences.  Paperwork requirements include the completion of a degree plan and an Intent to Graduate form.

Do remember that your Philosophy advisor does not certify you for graduation!  He/she helps you meet the requirements, but when it gets down to the wire, it is the Arts & Sciences advisor you must answer to.  Your Philosophy advisor does not have the special training to make sure you have completed your graduation requirements.  He/she will help as far as their knowledge in this area has evolved, but the last word lies with the College of Arts & Sciences.

You will need to learn the graduation an/or certification requirements in order to manage your program.  Toward that end you are given handouts and worksheets to help you.

The minor in Philosophy

The Philosophy minor is quite simple.  It consists of your choice of six Philosophy courses (18 hours), two of which must come from 3000 or 4000 level courses.  At least 6 hours of the minor must be completed in residency at Texas Tech.  Grades must be C or above. 

How do I declare my minor?

In order for the minor to show up on your transcript like your major does, you will need to turn in a degree plan form.  The form is college specific so you will need to find out what form you need and where to submit it from your major advisor(s).  Once you are in front of me I will need about 25 minutes of your time because I go over several things that I think are important prior to filling in your form.  Click here for my contact information and instructions on making an appointment.

Do all Philosophy courses count toward the minor?

All of the three-hour courses we offer at Texas Tech do, but we now offer one course that is one-hour credit which by itself does not help you since it is just one hour.  Some that are offered at other institutions may not.  These courses are typically either less than three hours or are judged upon review to be unsuitable (usually those judged to be not Philosophy).  However, if a transfer course comes into Texas Tech as equivalent to one of our classes it will count toward the minor.

How do I ask the Philosophy Department to evaluate a transfer course or study abroad course that I've taken? 

See my FAQ on Transfer/Study Abroad topics.