Philosophy focuses on basic issues in ethics, social philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology and contemporary philosophies of life. Students will learn to consider sensitive issues through the lens of how to think through them – it's not about a specific opinion, but about providing students with the steps and skills they need to come to their own reasonable and logical conclusions. This degree program provides students with courses that instill the knowledge, skills and practices of philosophical content, theory and methodology.
AA-T Degree A0424
Humanities and Social Sciences Division
Degree A0424
Philosophy studies basic issues in ethics, social philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology, and contemporary philosophies of life. Special consideration is given to an understanding of sound thinking and constructing well thought out arguments.
The degree program requires students to develop a foundational knowledge necessary to pursue post-secondary degrees in philosophy and a variety of specializations in the field. Moreover, the program fosters critical thinking and critically analysis of philosophical arguments. The degree provides students with a core curriculum that instills the knowledge, skills, and practices of philosophical content, theory and methodology. The Associate in Arts in Philosophy for Transfer degree is designed to assist students in seamlessly transferring to a CSU major in Philosophy.
To earn an Associate in Arts in Philosophy for Transfer degree, a student must complete 60 semester units that are eligible for transfer to the CSU system that consist of the IGETC pattern or CSU GE breadth and a major of at least 18 units. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 in all CSU-transferable coursework to receive an associate degree for transfer and all courses in the major must be completed with a C or better. Students earning an associate degree for transfer will not be required to complete any other local graduation requirement.
Required Courses
Student VoicesListen to our podcast featuring fascinating conversations between students, alumni and professors on real-world applications of this major..
Having studied philosophy has been so helpful. In times like these, there’s so much polarization and so many willing to offer to us how we should think and live out certain things. Studying ethics, I knew how I felt about the topics we went over – but I had to really confront myself and say, ‘Wow, this is the way I thought I felt, but now I have all the facts from both sides in front of me.
- Tyler Cardenas, former philosophy studentWhat I love about philosophy is that it provides structure for all of us to make better decisions. Once students have the tools in their toolkit for how to be able to create sound arguments, they can make much better decisions for themselves and also for the greater world. That, to me, is an incredible gift – I have the opportunity to share that experience with students and help them gather those tools.
- Dr. Lori Walker, professor