FAQ

Advising

Who do I contact for academic advising regarding the philosophy major/minor?

The philosophy undergraduate advisor is Doug Myers. You can reach him at philcounselor@humnet.ucla.edu. Doug is located in Dodd 300D and his phone number is (310) 206-1356.

How do I add the philosophy major?

Continuing UCLA students must complete all four lower division prep courses with a GPA of 2.0 or higher before adding the major. Students who have exceeded 150 units must receive permission from their main counseling unit before adding the major. Once you have met these requirements, you can meet with Doug Myers in Dodd 300D and he will switch your major.

For new/incoming UCLA students, see our New Students page.

How do I double major in philosophy?

In order to add the double major, students must complete all of the prep and two upper division classes in both majors. Once this requirement has been met, you may pick up the double major paperwork from your main counseling unit. The advisors for both majors will need to look over and sign off on the double major forms.

How do I add the philosophy minor?

Students can add the philosophy major once they have completed at least 12 units of philosophy coursework at UCLA. Transfer coursework may be used toward minor requirements, but cannot be used to meet the 12-unit requirement to add the minor. Students who have exceeded 150 units must also receive permission from their main counseling unit. Once these requirements have been met, you can meet with Doug Myers in Dodd 300D or email him at philcounselor@humnet.ucla.edu to add your minor.

How do I petition transfer coursework?

To petition a course for major or minor credit, please follow these instructions:

1. Self-enroll in the BruinLearn “Course” here – https://bruinlearn.ucla.edu/enroll/RFTWFC
2. Log in using your UCLA Logon ID.
3. Go to the upper right-hand corner of the page, and select “Enroll in Course”
4. On the next page, select “Go to the Course”
5. Please read the Petition Use, Instructions, and Other Information sections before proceeding to the Undergraduate Course Petition link.
6. Click the Undergraduate Course Petition link once you have read all information.
7. Download the Course Substitution Petition, available in PDF or Word document formats.
8. After completing your petition(s) and collecting the required syllabi, click Start Assignment to submit your petition materials.
9. Select “Choose File” to upload a document, and “Add Another File” to upload multiple documents.
   • Multiple petitions/syllabuses must be submitted at once. Once you have completed your submission you will not be able to submit any additional petitions.
10. Please make sure to complete and attach a completed course substitution petition and the course syllabus for each course you are petitioning.
    • Written work and other materials may also be included if the syllabus is sparse.
    • If you are petitioning a course to as equivalent to Philosophy 22, make sure a list of works read is included in the syllabus. If not, you must submit a reading list with your petition.
    • If you are petitioning a course for Philosophy 31, please be sure to include the final exam and/or other coursework.
11. When you have finished uploading all of your materials and making modifications and/or comments, select Submit Assignment.

What is Departmental Honors and how do I apply?

For information regarding Departmental Honors and to download the PDF version of the application, please click here.

What is a contract course and how do I enroll?

The most common contract courses in the department are Philosophy 198A, 198B, and 199. These are directed research courses under the supervision of a faculty mentor. Phil 198A and 198B are to be connected to upper division courses you are enrolled in, and Phil 199 is a standalone course. In order to enroll in one of these contract courses, you must find a faculty mentor who is willing to supervise your research project and together with your faculty mentor, come up with a plan for the quarter. You can initiate course contracts on MyUCLA. The link is under the “Classes” tab. Once you have printed the contract you will need to obtain your faculty mentor’s signature and submit the contract to Doug Myers in Dodd 329 and he will enroll you in the course.

Enrollment

Can I repeat a course for credit even if I received a passing grade?

Some upper division philosophy courses can be repeated for credit. On the online schedule of classes or the course catalog, look for the phrase “may be repeated for credit” in the course description. These courses may be repeated only if the topic of instruction has changed from the previous time(s) you took the course. Some courses will have subtitles listed on the schedule of classes, and this will indicate whether the topic has changed. If there are no subtitles, you may email the instructor to check that the course content is sufficiently different.

I can’t enroll in a class because I satisfied the prerequisite course by petition. What should I do?

If you are unable to enroll in a class because the prerequisite was satisfied by a transfer course approved by petition, please email philcounselor@humnet.ucla.edu and Doug Myers will manually enroll you.

What does it mean if a class or section is listed as “Closed”? What if a class or section is listed as “Cancelled”?

If a class or section is listed as “Closed” there is a chance it may open, depending on instructor availability. If a class or section is listed as “Cancelled” it will most likely not be offered that quarter.

What does it mean if the instructor is listed as “The Staff”?

This usually means that the instructor is a visiting lecturer and has not yet been inputted into the UCLA system. To find out who the instructor will be, you may view the PDF schedule posted to the Courses page of our website.

What does it mean if a course number starts with “M” (e.g. Phil M102, M103A)? What if a course number starts with “C” (e.g. Phil C115, C153B)?

A course number beginning with “M” indicates that the course is cross-listed (i.e. it may also be offered through another department). If you take the class through the other department, you will receive the same credit toward your philosophy major or minor as if you had taken it in the philosophy department. For example, Phil M103A is equivalent to Classics M145A. To find the name of the equivalent course, you may view the course description on the online schedule of classes or in the course catalog.

A course number beginning with “C” indicates that there may be a separate graduate component. “C” courses are taught at the undergraduate level with the expectation that students enrolled in the graduate section will do additional and more rigorous work.

Miscellaneous

Where can I find my professor or TA’s office hours?

You can find faculty office hours here and TA office hours here.

What resources does the department have for students in underrepresented groups?

Our department is proud to have a chapter of Minorities and Philosophy (MAP). For more information on MAP at UCLA, see here.