Academics
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The CS + Philosophy blended bachelor's degree is a partnership between the  Department of Philosophy in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science in The Grainger College of Engineering. The CS + Philosophy major will prepare you to navigate and push the frontiers of computing where researchers and practitioners often face the same type of questions—from foundational to ethical—that philosophers have tackled for ages. Acquire skills in formal methods, philosophical analysis, and computer programming, all while learning from award-winning faculty invested in the relationship between computer science and philosophy. 

 

CS + Philosophy Degree Requirements

Minimum required major and supporting course work normally equates to 71-73 hours. Twelve hours of 300- and 400-level Philosophy courses must be taken on this campus.

Students must complete the Campus General Education requirements including the campus general education language requirement. 

A Major Plan of Study Form must be completed and submitted to the LAS Student Affairs Office by the beginning of the fifth semester (60-75 hours). Please see the computer science advisor as well as the philosophy advisor.

CS + PHIL Major Sequence Sample 

Required Computer Science Coursework (32-33 hours)

Core Courses (22-23 hours)

  • CS 100: Freshman Orientation (1 hour)
    • CS 100 is an orientation course aimed at first-year students, so students who declare the major after the freshman year are not required to complete it.
  • CS 124: Intro to Computer Science I (3 hours)
  • CS 128: Introduction to Computer Science II (3 hours)
  • CS 173: Discrete Structures (3 hours)
  • CS 222: Software Design Lab (1 hour)
  • CS 225: Data Structures (4 hours)
  • CS 374: Introduction to Algorithms & Models of Computation (4 hours)
  • CS 421: Programming Languages & Compilers (3 hours)

Choose 1 of the following options (8-11 hours):

  1. CS 233: Computer Architecture (4 hours) and CS 341: System Programming (4 hours)
  2. CS 340: Introduction to Computer Systems (3 hours) and two CS courses at the 400 level above CS 403 (excluding CS 421 and CS 491). These two courses must be distinct from all other courses used to fulfill program requirements or options.

Choose 1 of the following courses (3-4 hours): 

  • STAT 200: Statistical Analysis (3 hours)
  • STAT 212: Biostatistics (3 hours)
  • CS 361: Probability and Statistics for Computer Science (3 hours)

Mathematics courses (9-11 hours): (may also fulfill the General Education Quantitative Reasoning I and II requirements)

  • MATH 220: Calculus or MATH 221: Calculus I (4-5 hours)
  • MATH 225: Introductory Matrix Theory (2 hours) or MATH 257: Linear Algebra with Computational Applications (3 hours)
  • MATH 231: Calculus II (3 hours)

Required Philosophy Coursework (21 hours)

Core Courses (15 hours):

  • PHIL 222: Philosophical Foundations of Computer Science (3 hours)
  • PHIL 223: Minds & Machines (3 hours)
  • PHIL 421: Ethical Theories (3 hours)
  • PHIL 454: Advanced Symbolic Logic (3 hours)
  • PHIL 499: Capstone Seminar (3 hours)

Choose one of the following (3 hours): 

  • PHIL 426: Metaphysics
  • PHIL 430: Theory of knowledge 

Choose one of the following (3 hours): 

  • PHIL 425: Philosophy of Mind
  • PHIL 438: Philosophy of Language
  • PHIL 439: Philosophy of Mathematics

  • PHIL 477: Philosophy of Psychology

     

Elective philosophy coursework (9 hours)

In consultation with an advisor, choose at least 9 additional hours of coursework in philosophy, with at least 6 of those hours being at the 300- or 400-level.

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