Philosophy Minor Overview 

Studying Philosophy encourages critical and careful thinking. These skills are applicable everywhere, so pursuing a minor in Philosophy is beneficial for students in any field.

Philosophy Minor Requirements:

The Philosophy minor consists of 24 units, at least 20 of which must be upper-division, with courses distributed according to the listing below.
 
All courses to be applied to the minor must be completed on a letter-grade basis. This includes both courses offered in Philosophy and those offered by other departments and applied to the minor.

  • Phil 3 or 183 (Phil 183 applies to the upper-division units required).

  • 20 upper-division units are required, distributed as follows:

    • 3 courses according to one of the following two options:

      • 2 courses from: 100 A-B-C-D-E-F, 116 and either:

        • 1 course from Phil 133, 141, 151, 152, 153, 154, 156, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166A, 167, 168, 173, 175A, 175B, 176, OR

        • 1 course from Phil 20A-B-C (but units from 20A-B-C will not count toward the 20 upper-division units required).

      • 3 courses from Phil 100A, 108, 121, 122, 126, 128, 129, 130, 131, 133, 134, 136, 137, 138, 139, 141, 143, 144, 145, 147, 149, 150A, 188, 189.

    • Elective upper-division Phil classes to bring total of 20 upper-division units (usually 8–12 units).

The most updated regulations for the Minor in Philosophy are listed in the General Catalog. Below are prior philosophy minor degree sheets.

Philosophy Minor Degree Sheets

Document
Philosophy Minor (2026).pdf587.26 KB

2025-2026 Philosophy Minor Degree Sheet

2024-2025 Philosophy Minor Degree Sheet

2023-2024 Philosophy Minor Degree Sheet

Adding / Dropping a Philosophy Minor (Current UCSB Students)

  • Want to add?
    • You must have finished at least ONE Philosophy course (a passing grade must be in your GOLD records) before you can add a Philosophy Minor. If you are currently taking your first Philosophy course, please wait until your final grades are posted.

 

  • Need to drop?
    • Email us at ug_advisor@philosophy.ucsb.edu with your perm # to let us know you're dropping the PHIL minor.

 

  • Have other questions or need clarification?
    • Please email the undergraduate advisor at ug_advisor@philosophy.ucsb.edu with your perm #, the PHIL minor option you plan to pursue, and any questions you may have. 

 

 

Intent to Minor in Philosophy Form

Completing your Minor: Next Steps (Current UCSB Students)

To finalize your Philosophy minor you must submit the Philosophy Minor Clearance form. HOWEVER! Prior to submitting, ensure:

  • ALL Philosophy minor courses have their grades posted on your GOLD records before submitting the form. The form will be rejected if the grade(s) for your last course in the minor have not yet been posted on your GOLD.
    • You may need to submit this form after Finals week since grades won't be posted until after the quarter is technically over - this is completely fine.
      • Please make sure to submit this within a week of grades being posted. This is usually 2 weeks after the quarter has ended.

The DocuSign form will be reviewed by the department advisor automatically once you click "Complete" on DocuSign. Please do not email the PDF as a copy will be automatically sent to us already - you will also receive a copy with it signed by the department once we finish processing.

WARNING: Not submitting this form may delay your degree conferral - please make sure to submit this form.

Submit PHIL Minor Clearance Form