Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

Newlane University’s Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy is an online degree program that offers a sustained investigation and careful inquiry, analysis, and interpretation of significant works in the history of philosophy, and a deep exploration of the hallmarks of philosophy, including the nature of reality and human knowledge, the meaning of life, evil, justice, beauty, and the good life.

*Note: A Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy is comprised of at least 120 credits, including required major courses and coursework. The remainder can be made up from the required coursework for the Associate Degree, and available electives, or comparable credits. In order to enroll in Newlane University’s Bachelor degree program, a student must first complete the Associate of Arts degree, or transfer the equivalent number of credits.

120 Credit Hours (this includes 60 credits that are earned with the completion of the Associate degree, or the equivalent number of transfer credits)

Average Completion time: 4 years (or 2 years in addition to the Associate degree)

Total cost: $3000 (or $1500 if student has already earned an Associate degree, or transfers the equivalent number of credits)

Program Outcomes:

• Rigorously evaluate ideas and arguments.
• Explain important ideas and works of prominent philosophers.
• Explain important critiques of works of prominent philosophers.
• Recount and analyze fundamental questions and propositions concerning reality, knowledge, and value.
• Competently incorporate formal reasoning techniques to articulate and evaluate arguments.
• Compare basic philosophical trends and key ideas across history.
• Outline philosophical issues in a range of intellectual domains.
• Construct coherent arguments in support of one’s views.
• Present accurately and fairly views that differ from one’s own.
• Write philosophical arguments, exegeses, and interpretations clearly and in an organized manner.

In order to enroll in the Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy degree, prospective students must complete the Newlane Basic Orientation and Jumpstart course, and the Introduction Sequence. Completing these sequences gives students an opportunity to experience online learning across a range of courses through the Newlane platform before committing to a degree program. 

To complete Newlane’s Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy degree, students must complete the general education requirement (typically through completing the Associate of Arts in General Studies degree) plus at least 30 semester credit hours including required categories and courses from the Philosophy major. The remainder of the 120 semester credit hours can be made up from available electives. Students also have the option of completing a capstone project, which counts as 6 advanced-level credits.

The credit requirements for different, distinct types of education and training for the Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy degree at Newlane ensures that students engage in multiple forms of inquiry, and learn about a range of disciplines and content matter. It also ensures that students engage in advanced study in philosophy across conventional areas (e.g, ethics, metaphysics, logic, history, epistemology, and philosophical writing).

The Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Newlane requires 39 credits in General education, including coursework in the following categories: University experience; Communication and Information literacy; Quantitative literacy; Scientific reasoning; Social and Behavioral Sciences; and Arts and Humanities. Our Associate of Arts introduction sequence provides a course from each of these categories. See the following for more details on the courses that pertain to these different categories:

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy Requirements

General Education: 39 credits

Major: 30 credits

Electives: 51 credits 

Note: At least fifteen (15) hours in the major must be at the 300 level.

Total: 120 credits

GENERAL EDUCATION CREDIT REQUIREMENTS BY CATEGORIES:

GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES ORGANIZED BY CATEGORIES

BOLD = Part of General Education Introduction Sequence

INITIATION SEQUENCE 0 credit hours

UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE 3 credit hours

COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION LITERACY minimum 6 credit hours

Take the following two courses:

QUANTITATIVE LITERACY minimum 6 credit hours

Take two of the following courses:

SCIENTIFIC REASONING minimum 6 credit hours

Take two of the following courses: 

SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES minimum 12 credit hours

Take four of the following courses:

ARTS & HUMANITIES minimum 6 credit hours

Take two of the following courses:

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

The Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy includes the general education requirement (i.e., 39 credits, meeting all the credit requirements from different categories of courses listed in Newlane’s general education offerings) plus 30 credits within the Philosophy major, including required courses and course categories, and 51 elective credits, which can be satisfied with any Newlane course credits. Within the Philosophy major, students are required to take courses from the following categories: Logic; Philosophical Writing; History of Philosophy; Ethics; Metaphysics; and Epistemology. Of the 30 required credits, Philosophy majors must complete at least 15 credit hours from 300-level courses.

PHILOSOPHY MAJOR CREDIT REQUIREMENTS BY CATEGORY

In addition to the required 24 major credits satisfying all categories listed above, students must complete 6 credits of advanced studies courses (i.e., 300+ level courses), for a total of at least 15 advanced level philosophy credits. Students are free to select any 300+ level course in the philosophy major to satisfy these credits. This brings the total major credits to 30.

Prior to enrolling in the Philosophy degree, students must complete the initiation sequence (if they haven’t completed it for their Associate degree) and any courses they have not yet taken from the Philosophy major introduction sequence.

The philosophy major introduction sequence includes the following courses:

PHILOSOPHY MAJOR COURSES BY CATEGORY

The 300-level courses assume the content-knowledge and skills students gain in the 100- and 200-level courses. And the expectations for projects are higher for more advanced courses (both in quality and quantity). For example, students in advanced-level courses are expected to write longer papers, and the standards for written work are higher. Course professors reference a philosophy paper course project rubric that conveys the differentiated expectations across course-levels.