Cornell University Registrar

Program Description

The Philosophy minor is designed for students who would like to formally pursue focused studies in Philosophy, receiving recognition for this work, along with their major in another field. The minor is open to any undergraduate student in any college at Cornell.

Academic Standards

Grade Requirements

All courses must be taken for a letter grade. Grades of S/U or SX/UX will not be accepted.

Each course must be completed with a grade of C or better to count toward the minor.

Minor Declaration Information

Admission to the minor is based on a student's work in Philosophy; students would be expected to have completed two philosophy courses (or at least 3 credits each) with grades of B or better prior to applying.

If you are interested in applying for the minor, please fill out the minor request form.

For more information, email philosophy-minor@cornell.edu.

Program Information

• Minimum Credits for Minor: 15

Minor Requirements

A minimum of five philosophy courses (or a minimum of 3 credits each). 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Five Philosophy Courses 1		15
Including:
No more than one 1000-level course
At least two courses at the 3000-level or higher
At least one must be in the history of philosophy before 1900
No more than two courses completed at other institutions

¹

The five Philosophy courses satisfying the minor may not include:

• any first-Year Writing Seminar (PHIL 1110 FWS: Philosophy in Practice, PHIL 1111 FWS: Philosophical Problems, PHIL 1112 FWS: Philosophical Conversations)
• any PHIL course with a catalog number X9XX. (e.g. PHIL 4900 Informal Study for Honors I, PHIL 4901 Informal Study for Honors II, etc.)