Online Bachelor's in Philosophy Overview

Ask big questions as you take a deep dive into logic, ethics, and morality. The fully online Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy offered by the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences is an accessible, flexible program that develops critical thinking, refines communication skills, and builds interdisciplinary knowledge.

In this program, you will attempt to answer questions about values, human existence, and the nature of reality. As a philosophy major, you may choose either the general path (no minor), or you may specialize in one of four minors, including:

• Religious Studies
• Asian Studies
• Classics
• Pre-Law

Program Details

The Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy is one of the only online undergraduate philosophy programs available in the U.S. It is ideal for students who have already earned some credit and would like to complete their bachelor’s degree in a flexible format.

The BA in Philosophy offers fully online courses with no on-campus requirements, meaning you can complete your coursework at the best time and place for you. Faculty in the online program also teach at the Colorado Springs campus. That means you will receive the same high quality courses and instruction as students on campus.

The philosophy courses in the program cover a wide array of topics like cosmology, world religions, Greek and Roman mythology, virtue ethics, epistemology, politics and law, and more. You’ll graduate equipped with critical thinking skills and a body of knowledge for working in multiple industries, including law, medicine, management, education, government, writing, computer science, psychology, sociology, ministry and more.

In the online philosophy program, you’ll learn to:

• Build capacities for and skills in critical thinking
• Write and orally express clear, logical, and grammatically correct philosophical arguments
• Develop detailed knowledge of the current literature or historical background of a philosophical problem
• Research resources for answering and exploring philosophical questions

Curriculum Overview

Completion of the online Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Philosophy requires the following: 

• A minimum of 30 credit hours of PHIL coursework. At least 21 of those hours must be upper division (courses numbered 3000 or higher). 
• Completion of one of the following courses: 
  • PHIL 1120: Critical Thinking 
  • PHIL 3420: Symbolic Logic I 
• Completion of the following course (exception made if double majoring in Philosophy and another discipline): 
  • PHIL 4950: Senior Thesis 
• A grade of C or better in courses applied to the major. 
• A minimum 2.0 GPA must be maintained in all PHIL coursework. 

No more than 60 credit hours of philosophy (PHIL) coursework may apply to the bachelor’s degree. Fall and spring semester courses in the online BA in Philosophy program are 16 weeks long, and summer courses are eight (8) weeks long.

The senior thesis course is a research project on the topic of your choosing that is supervised by a faculty member. Senior Thesis gives you the opportunity to dig deeper into an area that interests you and build specialized knowledge for your next career move.

Example Courses

The following courses are a sample of available courses for the BA in Philosophy program at UCCS. You can explore all undergraduate upper division courses on the Department of Philosophy website.

PHIL 3000 Cosmology and Culture
This course traces the path of philosophical and scientific world views, from Aristotle to Newton to Relativity and the corresponding philosophical and cultural transformations that each worldview gives rise to. Emphasis will be placed on the philosophical ideas of each era and on the application of these ideas to culture.

PHIL 3150 Virtue Ethics
This course examines virtue ethics from antiquity to the present. It investigates what virtues are, whether virtues are better than vices, whether virtues are culturally relative or objectively good, and what anthropology best supports virtue ethics.

PHIL 4440 Decision Theory and Game Theory
This course introduces students to decision theory and game theory. Topics will include rationality; strategic reasoning; Nash equilibria; strategic games; symmetric and non-symmetric games; coalitions and cooperation; zero and non-zero-sum games; and prisoner's dilemmas.

Bachelor's in Philosophy Career Outlook

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) reported that approximately 50% of 2022 bachelor’s in philosophy graduates from surveyed institutions were employed overall (including full-time, temporary, and contract work) after graduation. Around 6% were seeking to continue their education. Philosophy graduates also had a mean starting salary of $52,606. The surveyed institutions included data from across the U.S.

What Can I Do with a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy?

Philosophy graduates can utilize their degrees in several industries and positions. In addition to the sampling of roles below, graduates can also continue their education in graduate school or law school.

• Cultural affairs
• Technical writing
• Marketing
• Journalism
• Pre-law (paralegal)

Ultimately, the online philosophy program at UCCS provides an excellent foundation for students who wish to pursue law school, certain graduate school paths, and jobs in the non-profit and corporate spaces.

Tuition and Fees

At UCCS Online, we strive to keep our tuition costs affordable so that you can get a world-class education that fits your budget. When you earn a degree, you’re not simply getting a diploma — you’re making a lifelong investment in yourself and empowering your future career. We know that affordability is an important factor, and that’s why we’re here to help you explore all of the options available to fund your education.

Application fees can vary based on the program, but there is typically a small fee that will be required upon submission of your application. Please reach out to an Enrollment Navigator for more information about any costs associated with your application.

You may be eligible to pursue scholarships. Each year, UCCS awards $100 million in financial aid, and you can explore options through the UCCS Financial Aid Office.

Completion Time

Online learning offers the benefit of flexibility, with the option of taking a course load that meets your needs. Completion time for this program is highly dependent upon your total number of transfer credits and course load. You can shorten your time to graduation with a heavier course load, but you also have the option of taking fewer credits and completing the program over more time.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)