Philosophy and History Double Major

Philosophy is the systematic and critical inquiry into thinking and the nature of existence. As a practice, philosophy teaches analytical and critical thinking, develops oral and written communication skills, and contributes to interdisciplinary understanding. Philosophy attempts to answer perennial questions about values, human existence, and the nature of reality. Skills developed in this inquiry help philosophy students excel in careers in law, medicine, management, education, government, writing, computer science, psychology, sociology, and ministry among many others.

The perspectives, content, and skills you will gain as a History major or minor will improve your understanding of the complex global world around you and strengthen your professional abilities in many areas. Employers, whether in business, government, education, international organization, or any other field, are looking for employees who can read carefully, write clearly, think logically, learn independently, work with people across cultural and geographical perspectives, and analyze problems within the appropriate critical contexts. The study of history cultivates all of these skills as well as your pathways of humanistic empathy and understanding of the world around you, your scientific skills of objective investigation, and your creative skills of expression and interpretation.

General Information

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Philosophy and History requires the following:

A minimum of 30 credit hours of PHIL course work. At least 21 of those hours must be upper division (courses numbered 3000 or higher).
A minimum of 30 credit hours of HIST course work. At least 18 of those hours must be upper division.
A grade of C or better in all courses applied to the major.
A minimum 2.0 GPA must be maintained in all PHIL and HIST course work.
Both History and Philosophy require a Senior Thesis of all its majors, but students in the double major need to complete only one. Students may choose to complete either
PHIL 4950
or
HIST 4990

Additional course work is required to complete the History and Philosophy, BA degree. Please see the advising guide on the Academic Advising website for more information.

Philosophy Major Course Requirements

Logic Course (3 credit hours)

Complete one of the following courses:

Philosophy Electives (27 credit hours)

Complete 27 credit hours of Philosophy electives to meet total and upper-division hours for the major. At least 21 hours of upper-division (3000+ level) PHIL courses must be completed for the major.

Philosophy Senior Thesis/Summit Course

Complete one Senior Thesis/Summit course for the double major. Either the Philosophy Senior Thesis or the History Senior Thesis Seminar may be chosen. The Senior Thesis will count toward upper-division elective hours for the major in which it is taken.

PHIL 4950 - Senior Thesis

History Double Major Course Requirements

Historical Survey Courses (12 credit hours)

Complete two courses from each of the following categories.

Histories of Europe and the U.S.

Global Histories and Histories of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East

Upper-Division Global History Courses (6 credit hours)

Complete two of the following courses.

Upper-Division History Electives (12 credit hours)

Complete 12 credit hours of upper-division (3000+ level) History electives.

NOTE: HIST 3001 - The Historian’s Craft: Introduction to the Discipline of History is a required prerequisite for HIST 4990; if HIST 4990 is chosen for the Capstone/Summit Course, HIST 3001 will fulfill 3 hours of upper-division HIST electives.

History Summit/Senior Thesis Course

Complete at least one Summit course for the double major. The Summit course will count toward upper-division elective hours for the major in which it is taken.

HIST 4990 - Senior Thesis Seminar: Approaches to the Study of History must be taken in residence at UCCS, and may only be taken after completing 9 hours of upper-division HIST courses at UCCS.