New Students

Welcome to UCLA and the Department of Philosophy! In our program you will have the opportunity to learn from renowned Philosophers in a variety of areas. We are excited for you to join us!

Advising

New students are strongly encouraged to attend New Student Orientation, during which time they will have an opportunity to meet with a philosophy undergraduate advisor. Please visit the New Student Orientation website for orientation dates, how to sign up for a session, and other important information.

Students who are unable to attend orientation must contact the New Student and Transition Programs office at (310) 206-6685 to receive an enrollment appointment for Fall. Incoming students may receive advising on the philosophy major beginning in July by contacting philcounselor@humnet.ucla.edu or (310) 206-1356.

Students planning to take summer courses may contact philcounselor@humnet.ucla.edu for advising as soon as they have submitted their Statement of Intent to Register.

Major & Minor Requirements

For information on philosophy major and minor requirements you may click on the links below to access the major and minor checklists.

Philosophy Major Checklist

Philosophy Minor Checklist

Incoming students will have the opportunity to meet with the undergraduate advisor during New Student Orientation (NSO).

Although we cannot add an incoming transfer student (who has not declared philosophy as their major) to the major during NSO, transfer students can still formally declare the philosophy major once they have completed all four of the “Preparation for the Major” courses and two upper-division philosophy courses by emailing the undergraduate advisor. It is possible to complete some of these missing courses during UCLA Summer Session. Please see more information about summer enrollment below.

Incoming freshmen students may switch into the philosophy major at orientation by notifying their New Student Advisor.

Students interested in double majoring must complete all major preparation courses plus two upper-division courses in both majors before the double major can be declared.

Students who would like to declare the philosophy minor must complete at least 12 units of philosophy coursework at UCLA before the minor can be declared.

Transferring Coursework

All courses articulated on assist.org will be honored. Courses not articulated on assist.org may be petitioned for credit for the philosophy major or minor. Petitions are evaluated on the basis of course content, engagement with original texts, and level of rigor. Please keep in mind that any decisions made by the Philosophy Department prior to when your transfer work has been posted on the degree audit are tentative pending evaluation of transferability and course level designation by the admissions office.

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

  1. Visit: https://philosophy.ucla.edu/undergraduate/majors-and-minors/course-substitution-petitions/ 
  2. Log in
  3. Go to the upper left hand corner where it says “Administration” and click on “Enroll me in this course”
  4. Once on that page scroll down to “Self-enrollment (Participant)” and enter the following enrollment key (case-sensitive and no space between the letters/numbers): Student123
  5. Please read the Petition Use, Instructions, and Other Information sections before proceeding to the next step, which is then listed below the Undergraduate Course Petition
  6. Click the Undergraduate Course Petition link once you have read the sections listed in step 5
  7. Once you have filled out a petition, click Add submission
  8. You can then drag and drop the files or click either of the upload buttons in the upper left hand corner of the file submissions box
  9. To make changes to the petition or materials uploaded click the Edit submission button
  10. When you have finished uploading all your materials and making and modifications and/or comments make sure to click Submit assignment
  11. Do not un-enroll yourself until you have heard back whether the course(s) has/have been approved or denied. Messages may be sent to you through the site regarding your petition if more information is needed, etc.
  12. Wil Jones, the department’s Student Affairs Officer, will be in touch to update you once a decision is rendered.

If you would like to petition a transfer course in philosophy for GE credit, contact your main counseling unit (College Academic Counseling, AAP, Honors, or Athletics). The Philosophy Department is not involved in approving GE petitions.

Summer Courses

UCLA Summer Sessions has a guide for incoming freshmen and transfer students that may be helpful to review. New students who would like to enroll in philosophy courses this summer should contact philcounselor@humnet.ucla.edu for advising prior to enrolling. Transfer students should prove a copy of their unofficial transcript(s).

Detailed descriptions of our summer courses can be found here.