Major in Philosophy of Science
About the Philosophy of Science Major
Students interested in becoming Philosophy of Science majors should meet with our advisors, Connie Corbett or Lex Putnam.
The Philosophy of Science major examines the foundations, methods, and implications of science. It delves into questions about what constitutes science, how scientific knowledge is acquired and validated, examines the moral and social implications of scientific activity, and studies the nature of scientific reasoning. Essentially, it's a philosophical exploration of the scientific endeavor itself.
Core Questions:
What is Science?
How does Science work?
What is the nature of Scientific Knowledge?
What are the implications of Science?
This major offers students a technical foundation in a chosen scientific or social science discipline, along with strong skills in ethical reasoning and logical analysis. Graduates are well-prepared for elite graduate programs or positions in technical industries.
Declare Major Major Checklist Honors Checklist Why Philosophy of Science 4-Year plan Sample
The degree requirements in Philosophy of Science allow students to select their course of study.
Required coursework for Philosophy of Science students is organized around four main areas of study:
Philosophy of Science Core
History of Philosophy
Logic and Formal Methods
Ethics
Students are required to take courses from each area of study. The specific requirements are explained below.
The Major in Philosophy of Science major is 51 hours of coursework: 24 hours from Phil Sci major courses, 15 hours from Science Breadth, and 12 hours from Science Focus courses. Many courses for the Breadth can be fulfilled with general education courses or AP credit.
- PHIL 3350 History & Philosophy of Science (CW)
- PHIL 3310 Science & Society
- PHIL 3370 Philosophy of Biology
- PHIL 3375 Philosophy of Social Science
- PHIL 3380 Feminist Philosophy of Science (DV)
- PHIL 3440 Cognitive Science
- PHIL 4380 Philosophy of Physics
- PHIL 5350 Topics in Philosophy of Science
- PHIL 5370 Topics in Philosophy of Biology
- PHIL 5375 Topics in Philosophy of Social Science
- PHIL 3200 Deductive Logic (QI)
- PHIL 3210 Inductive Logic (QI)
- PHIL 5200 Advanced Deductive Logic
- PHIL 5210 Advanced Inductive Logic
- PHIL 5220 Rational Choice Theory
- PHIL 3013 PHIL of __________
- PHIL 3040 20th Century Analytic
- PHIL 3060 20th Century Continental Philosophy
- PHIL 3085 History of African American Philosophy
- PHIL 3086 History of Latin American Philosophy
- PHIL 3100 Survey of Ancient Greek Philosophy
- PHIL 3110 Survey of Medieval Philosophy
- PHIL 3120 Survey of Early Modern Philosophy
- PHIL 3130 Survey of 19th Century Philosophy
- PHIL 3810 Existentialism
- PHIL 4140 Classical Chinese Philosophy
- PHIL 5040 Advanced 20th Century Analytic
- PHIL 5060 Advanced 20th Century Continental
- PHIL 5100 Advanced Ancient Philosophy
- PHIL 5110 Advanced Medieval Philosophy
- PHIL 5120 Advanced Early Modern Philosophy
- PHIL 5145 Topics in Classical Chinese Philosophy
- PHIL 5193 Philosophy of ______
- PHIL 5360 Topics in the History of Science
- PHIL 3390 Tech & Design Ethics
- PHIL 3520 Bioethics
- PHIL 3530 Environmental Ethics
- PHIL 3570 Research Ethics
- PHIL 4540 Engineering Ethics (Varies)
- PHIL 5520 Advanced Bioethics
- PHIL 5530 Environmental Philosophy
- ANTH 3134 Language, Thought, and Culture: Anth of Human Mind (BF)
- ANTH 3283 Sex and Gender (DV)
- ANTH 3145 Human Migration and Social Change (IR)
- ANTH 3481 Evolutionary Psychology
- COMM 3115 Communicating Science, Health, Environment
- COMM 4360 Consuming Earth
- COMM 5365 Communicating Climate Change
- ECON 3100 Labor Economics (QI)
- ECON 3200 Money & Banking (QI)
- ECON 3500 International Economics (QI, IR)
- HIST 4075 Introduction to the History of Science
- HIST 4080 History of Medicine in Western Society (IR)
- HIST 4085 History of Technology
- LING 3300 Computers and Language
- LING 4160 Language & Cognition
- PHIL 2250: Introduction to Medical Humanities
- PHIL 2510 Genetics & Society
- WRTG 3014 Writing in the Sciences (CW)
- PHIL 5200 Advanced Deductive Logic
- PHIL 5210 Advanced Inductive Logic
- PHIL 5220 Rational Choice Theory
- PHIL 5350 Topics in Philosophy of Science
- PHIL 5370 Topics in Philosophy of Biology
- PHIL 5375 Topics in Philosophy of Social Science
- PHIL 5450 Philosophy of Mind (by permission only)
- PHIL 5520 Advanced Bioethics
- PHIL 5530 Advanced Ethics
- HPSCI 5900 Special Topics in HPSCI (by permission only)
- PHIL 5192 Topics in Philosophy of _____ (by permission only)
- PHIL 5450 Philosophy of Mind (by permission only)
Pre-Approved Courses in numerical order (SPRING 2019 - Current)
* = approved as an elective; ^ = approved as HPSCI core course
PHIL 3011 Ethical and Technological Advances in Medicine (Spring 2019)*
PHIL 3011-004 - Ethics and Wilderness Medicine (Spring 2023)*
PHIL 3011-004 - Artificial Intelligence Ethics (Fall 2024) - Approved for Ethics credit
PHIL 3011-004 & 006 - Data Ethics (Fall 2024) - Approved for Ethics credit
PHIL 3012 History and Philosophy of Chemistry ^
PHIL 3012 Philosophy of Forensic Science ^
PHIL 3013 History of Philosophy, Math, and Logic ^
PHIL 3012-002 Philosophy of Time Travel (Fall 2022), (Fall 2024)^
PHIL 3013-002 Alien Invaders! Biological Invasions in Science and Science Fiction (Spring 2020)^
PHIL 5450-001 Philosophy of Mind (Fall 2022)^
PHYS 5623-001 Queer Theory in Science Education (Fall 2024)
HPSCI 3900-001 Science & Culture in Latin America (Spring 2025)
Take a total of five introductory courses from science and math. Two courses from
math, and three from sciences (1000-2000-level). This requirement is easily fulfilled
with general education, AP, and introductory coursework in the sciences.
Examples of 1000-2000-level courses from math and science that will fulfill the requirement.
The list below is not exhaustive. There are just too many courses to list them all.
- Need Two MATH Courses (Examples: Math 1010, 1030, 1040, 1050, 1060, 1080, 1210, 1220, 1223)
- Need Three Science Courses (Examples: ASTR 1050, 1060; ATMOS 1010, 1020, 1120; BIOL 1010, 1120, 1610, 1620, 2030, )
Four upper-division courses from a science or social science discipline. Three courses
at the 3000-4000-level, and one 5000-level course. This requirement will vary if
you choose an interdisciplinary major or certificate.
The 5000-level Science Focus course fulfills the second capstone requirement.
For example, if MATH is the focus, choose three 3000-4000 level math classes and one
5000-level course. This format is the same for any major chosen.
The Department of Philosophy is strongly committed to helping transfer students succeed. If you are interested in transferring into our program from another college
or university, the best way to put yourself into a position to succeed is to complete
pre-requisites for your science and social science courses. All Science Breadth requirements can be fulfilled before transferring to the U. General Education requirements
can be fulfilled with an Associates Degree.
Once the Science Breadth requirement is complete, you are ready for (3000, 4000, 5000-level)
science or social science courses in both Philosophy and Science Focus classes.
Practically speaking, many (if not most) philosophy of science majors will also be STEM or social science majors. Adding a philosophy of science major to a STEM degree will set you apart and train you in the skills that will help you advance your career.
- Engineer
- Software Developer
- Environmental Scientist
- Physicist
- Doctor
- Social Work