Degree programs
General information
Philosophy courses may be taken simply as general arts electives or to fulfill a Minor, Major, Honours, or multidisciplinary program. Students wishing to complete a program in philosophy should choose courses based on the regulations below.
Further information, including course descriptions, is available in the University Calendar.
For a list of courses offered in the current academic year, please check the Courses section of this website.
Major
Honours
Minor
Note – The Honours program and the Major program both require completion of the Arts Core:
- 6h in ENGL at the 1000 level
- 6h in a single language other than English; students whose first language is not English or who can demonstrate a high level of competence in a language other than English may substitute a second 6h in English.
- 6h in ECON, POLS, or SOCI
- 6h in ART (not 2013, 2023, 3013, 3023), CLAS, CREL, HIST, PHIL, or MUSI (not applied, vocal or instrumental methods, or practical studies)
- 6h in the Faculty of Pure and Applied Science
Arts Core requirements are to be included in the first 60 credit hours of all Arts programs.
Exception: Students whose First Major is in the Faculty of Science and who choose to complete a Second Major in Philosophy (see below) need not complete the Arts Core.
B.A. Major program
- The Arts Core (30h)
Major requirements (42h); courses offered to satisfy Major requirements must be completed with a grade of "C–" or better:
- 6h of Phil at the 1000 level
- 2003 (The Pre-Socratics to Plato) and 2033 (Aristotle and the Hellenistic Philosophers)
- 2113 (The Rationalists) and 2123 (The Empiricists)
- 6h from among 2303, 2313, 2323, 2713, 3203, 3213, 3713
- 2813 (Logic and Critical Thinking) or 2823 (Symbolic Logic)
- 2913 (Philosophy of Science)
- An additional 12h of Phil, which must include 6h at the 3000 level or above
- A minimum of 24h to satisfy minor requirements in a single subject or in multidisciplinary studies. Only 6h at the 1000 level may be offered toward minor requirements in one subject.
- Elective courses to complete a total of 120h
- At least 96h must be taken in the Faculties of Arts and Science.
Second Majors may take a 36h major comprising 6h of Phil at the 1000 level; 2003 and 2033; 2113 and 2123; 6h from among 2303, 2313, 2323, 2713, 3203, 3213, 3713; and an additional 12h of Phil, which must include 6h at the 3000 level or above. Note: Students whose First Major is in the Faculty of Science may complete a Second Major in Philosophy without completing the Arts Core.
B.A. Honours program
- The Arts Core (30h)
Honours requirements (54h); courses offered to satisfy Honours requirements must be completed with a grade of "B–" or better:
- 6h of Phil at the 1000 level
- 2003 (The Pre-Socratics to Plato) and 2033 (Aristotle and the Hellenistic Philosophers)
- 2113 (The Rationalists), 2123 (The Empiricists)
- 2313 (Ethical Theory), 2323 (Ethics in the World)
- 2823 (Symbolic Logic)
- 2913 (Philosophy of Science) or 3553 (Contemporary Analytic Philosophy)
- 3113 (Kant: The Critique of Pure Reason) or 3223 (Kantian Practical Reason)
- 4996 (Honours Thesis)
- An additional 15h of Phil which must include 6h at the 3000 level or above
- A minimum of 24h to satisfy minor requirements in a single subject or in multidisciplinary studies. Only 6h at the 1000 level may be offered toward minor requirements in one subject.
- Elective courses to complete a total of 120h
- At least 96h must be taken in the Faculties of Arts and Science.
Minor program
- May be combined with any Bachelor's degree program at Acadia
- Requires 24h of Phil, only 6h of which may be at the 1000 level
- Courses offered to satisfy Minor requirements must be completed with a grade of "C–" or better.