Double Major

Adding Philosophy As a Second Major

Philosophy can apply to anything. That’s what makes a Philosophy Major so perfect as a second major. Because the Philosophy Major is reduced to 30-31 units when paired with a Major in another program, adding Philosophy as a second major is very feasible. This option is quite common at CSUN, and students who graduate do very well in whatever chosen field they pursue. Some excellent double majors are:

• Philosophy and Religious Studies
• Philosophy and Psychology
• Philosophy and Computer Science/Information Technology
• Philosophy and Biology
• Philosophy and Film or Media Studies
• Philosophy and Fine Arts
• Philosophy and Music
• Philosophy and Physics
• Philosophy and Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Industrial, etc.)
• Philosophy and Literature (English, Spanish, Japanese, etc.)
• Philosophy and Business/Marketing/Accounting
• Philosophy and Political Science
• Philosophy and Women’s Studies

The course requirements for the double major are more flexible than they are for the single major.  For the single major, 3 out of the 44 required units can come from outside of the Philosophy curriculum, but for the double major, you can count 9 outside units.  This makes the double major very feasible.  Adding Philosophy as a second major is quite common at CSUN, and students who graduate do very well in whatever chosen field they pursue.

Philosophy as a Second Major Worksheet

 

I. REQUIRED COURSES (21-22 units)

• PHIL 201: Ancient Western Philosophy (3)
• PHIL 202: Modern Philosophy (3)
• PHIL 497: Senior Research Seminar (3)

Choose one of the following courses:

• PHIL 100: Introduction to Critical Reasoning (4)
• PHIL 200: Critical Reasoning (3)
• PHIL 210: Reasoning in the Sciences (3)
• PHIL 225: Evolutionary Reasoning (3)
• PHIL 230: Introduction to Formal Logic (3)

Choose one of the following courses:

• PHIL 360: Ethical Theory (3)
• PHIL 365: Social and Political Philosophy (3)
• PHIL 380: Aesthetics (3)

Choose one of the following courses:

• PHIL 350: Philosophy of Knowledge (3)
• PHIL 352: Philosophy of Reality (3)
• PHIL 355: Philosophy of Mind (3)

Choose one of the following courses:

• PHIL 333: American Indian Philosophy (3 units)
• PHIL 354: Kierkegaard and Nietzsche (3 units)
• PHIL 353: Existentialism (3 units)
• PHIL 343: Indian Philosophy (3 units)
• PHIL 344: Chinese Philosophy (3 units)
• PHIL 348: Feminist Philosophy (3 units)

II. ELECTIVES (9 units)

Choose three philosophy courses (9 units), subject to the following conditions:

1. At least 1 course (3 units) must be at the 400-level (other than PHIL 497 and PHIL 499).
2. At least 1 course (3 units) must be at the 300-level or higher (excluding courses otherwise counted toward the major requirements).
3. At least 1 course may be at the 100-level or higher (excluding courses otherwise counted toward the major requirements).

TOTAL (excluding courses otherwise counted toward the major requirements). UNITS REQUIRED FOR THE SECOND MAJOR: 30-31 UNITS

 

 

**Philosophy is sufficiently flexible to complement virtually any other discipline one chooses as a primary major. Students are advised to consult with the Department’s Chair Dr. Kristina Meshelski to plan for the double major.