The Department of Philosophy offers minors in both philosophy and ethics.

Declare a Minor

Philosophy Minor

In addition to meeting all University of Oregon requirements for a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree, students must meet the following requirements to complete a minor in philosophy.

24 credits must be earned from philosophy courses.

• Upper division: At least 16 credits must be earned via upper-division courses (300 or 400-level).
• Residence: At least 12 upper-division credits must be from courses taken in residence, i.e., at UO.
• Grades: All credits must be from courses completed with a grade of C- or higher. No more than 8 credits may be earned from courses graded Pass/No Pass.

History of Philosophy

At least two of the following courses:

• PHIL 310 History of Philosophy: Ancient and Medieval
• PHIL 311 History of Philosophy: Modern
• PHIL 312 History of Philosophy: 19th Century

Authors Courses

At least one 400-level course that focuses on the works of specific philosophers, e.g., Plato, Kant, Dewey, Beauvoir, Arendt, etc.

Often the History of Philosophy courses are prerequisites for authors courses, which are typically recommended for third- and fourth-year students. Consult the catalog for details.

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Ethics Minor

Available to students in any major, the minor in ethics is designed to enhance critical thinking, social engagement, and reflection on major moral issues that are the hallmarks of ethical inquiry. Offered through the Department of Philosophy, this minor will prepare students with a full suite of tools for critical reflection that will help them address the major moral challenges of the 21st century. Students are bound to use these skills for careers in business, science, journalism, advocacy, nonprofit work, law, and all aspects of health care.

Students taking any major, including philosophy, can declare the minor in ethics. Majors from other departments can minor in both philosophy and ethics. Philosophy majors and minors can have a maximum two-course overlap with their ethics-minor-qualifying courses.

Questions? Contact the ethics minor director.

Ethics Minor Structure: 1 + 5 Courses

The ethics minor has a straightforward structure that is meant to easily fit into students’ busy courses of study in their elected major. Students take one core course in ethics plus 5 additional ethics-related electives. It’s that simple.

Students take a total of 6 courses in ethics, one of which must be a core course, either PHIL 102 Ethics or PHIL 323 Advanced Moral Theory.

Beyond the core, students pick 5 additional courses from more than 20 offerings, such as PHIL 123 Internet Ethics, PHIL 170 Philosophy of Love and Sex, PHIL 335 Medical Ethics, and PHIL 452 Philosophy of Race.

The core course requirement is designed to give students a foundation in ethical inquiry and moral reasoning—it can be fulfilled with either PHIL 102 Introduction to Ethics or PHIL 323 Advanced Moral Theory. Both courses are offered at least once per year, and typically more frequently.

The 5 ethics electives can be chosen from more than 20 standard course offerings. We offer even more options among rotating topics courses, so there will always be multiple ethics-related electives every term.

Course Requirements

In addition to meeting all UO requirements for a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree, students must meet the following requirements to complete a minor in ethics.

Twenty-four credits must be earned by completing six courses on the approved ethics minor course list (see below). 

• Upper division: At least 12 credits must be earned via upper-division courses (300 or 400-level), with at least 4 of those credits from a 400-level course.
• Residence: At least 12 upper-division credits must be from courses taken in residence, i.e., at UO.
• Grades: All credits must be from courses completed with a grade of C- or higher. At least 16 of the total 24 credit-hours must be graded; the remainder can be taken as Pass/No Pass.

One Core Course

All students studying for the minor in ethics must complete one of the following 2 core course options (the other can be used as an elective if the student wishes):

• PHIL 102 Introduction to Ethics – This course is designed to provide basic foundations in major moral theories and experience with critical assessment of contemporary moral debates.
• PHIL 323 Advanced Moral Theory – This course offers a more advanced introduction to the theoretical and philosophical aspects of moral matters. This course will be an appropriate core course for junior- or senior-level students who are coming to the ethics minor with experience in other philosophy courses or with solid preparation in advanced upper-level work in other humanities disciplines.

Five Electives

Beyond the core course requirement, students studying for the minor in ethics enroll in 5 additional ethics electives chosen from the list below. Note that of the 6 courses total, at least 3 must be upper-level, 300- or 400-level, and at least one must be senior-level, 400-level.

Any other philosophy course focusing primarily on topics in ethics (contingent upon review by and approval from instructor of record as well as ethics minor director). Note that the Department of Philosophy frequently offers 400-level author courses (PHIL 463, 453, 443, and 421) as well as other 400-level topics courses that focus on topics of ethics and can be used to satisfy the minor in ethics (these are often listed below at the bottom of this page for the relevant term in which they are being offered).

Any one UO course from outside the Department of Philosophy that is focused primarily on ethics (note that this may be used for only one of the courses counting toward fulfilling the minor such that if this option is used then all of the student’s other courses in ethics must be offerings from the list above). Students can choose this one outside course from the list of pre-approved courses below or they can petition that another course offering be approved as an elective for the minor in ethics. The petition will be reviewed by the advising ethics minor director. Pre-approved courses from outside the Philosophy department include:

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