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About This Program
The Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy provides students with a dynamic exploration of the fundamentals of Western philosophy through an engaging, online philosophy degree program. Designed to empower philosophy majors, this program covers core topics such as the history of Western philosophy, logic, moral philosophy, the philosophy of science, and the foundations of metaphysics and epistemology.
Students that pursue a philosophy degree develop essential critical thinking and communication skills, learn to write clearly, argue persuasively, and critically analyze complex intellectual, social, and legal issues. With customizable concentrations in ethics, the history of philosophy, or social justice, this program delivers both practical and analytical skills to address contemporary challenges.
Graduates of the philosophy degree program are equipped to excel as business professionals, ethicists, instructors, or as contributors within organizations dedicated to social justice.
What You Will Do
- Examine the historical development and evolution of philosophical theories, focusing on key contributions to Western philosophy and their historical context.
- Evaluate various schools of philosophical and moral thought by analyzing their foundations, rationale, and relevance today.
- Apply logic effectively, demonstrating proficiency in inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, and abductive reasoning to assess arguments and solve problems.
- Critically assess criteria for justifying claims of knowledge and morality, showcasing the ability to apply these principles to practical situations.
- Construct coherent and well-reasoned philosophical positions in writing, demonstrating exceptional analytical skills and critical thinking.
- Engage with philosophical inquiry to analyze social and political philosophy, ethics, and other pressing relevant issues, demonstrating strong communication skills.
Degree at a Glance
Number of Credits
120
Cost Per Credit
$360 | $250*
$324**
$324**
Courses Start Monthly
Online
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Program Requirements Printable Catalog Version
Must take the following in this Section:
Course ID: 5037
|
Information and Digital Literacy is designed to provide students with sustainable and usable skills essential to success in both academic and professional settings. Students will learn best practices to locate and evaluate sources, and effectively communicate using digital literacy to become proficient 21st century learners.
| Registration Dates | Course Dates | Session | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/23/26 - 07/31/26 | 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 | Summer 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 04/27/26 - 10/02/26 | 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 | Fall 2026 Session B | 8 Week session |
| 05/25/26 - 10/30/26 | 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 | Fall 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 06/29/26 - 12/04/26 | 12/07/26 - 01/31/27 | Fall 2026 Session D | 8 Week session |
Course ID: 4951
|
Martin Luther King, Jr, said, “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to KEEP MOVING.” Making Writing Relevant is a composition course that will definitely keep you moving. It is not merely a required course; it is the type of course you will want to take because it moves you onto the path to success. Over eight-weeks, we will help you learn the most important components of a successful writer-communicator. We will teach you how to research properly, knowing you will need this skill in every course you take here at APUS and also in interactions in your professional and personal life. We will teach you the formatting style you will use in your field. We will provide a supportive community to strengthen and encourage you, and by the end of this nearly-all-you-need-to-know-about-writing course, you will be able to fly.
| Registration Dates | Course Dates | Session | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/23/26 - 07/31/26 | 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 | Summer 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 04/27/26 - 10/02/26 | 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 | Fall 2026 Session B | 8 Week session |
| 05/25/26 - 10/30/26 | 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 | Fall 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 06/29/26 - 12/04/26 | 12/07/26 - 01/31/27 | Fall 2026 Session D | 8 Week session |
Must take all courses for this section.
Course ID: 5445
|
Writer Zora Neale Hurston describes research as “formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose." This course will help students hone their research skills, along with all other aspects of academic writing. Students will receive step-by-step guidance through the process while writing about topics they want to explore.
In this course, students will learn how to compose thoughtful research questions, gather and evaluate supporting facts, and create an organized outline for a research paper. Students will also learn how to properly cite sources, avoid plagiarism, flesh out a research paper’s paragraphs with substantive details, and turn in a polished final paper. Students will work within a supportive university community and will receive plentiful, constructive feedback.
| Registration Dates | Course Dates | Session | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/23/26 - 07/31/26 | 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 | Summer 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 04/27/26 - 10/02/26 | 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 | Fall 2026 Session B | 8 Week session |
| 05/25/26 - 10/30/26 | 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 | Fall 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 06/29/26 - 12/04/26 | 12/07/26 - 01/31/27 | Fall 2026 Session D | 8 Week session |
Course ID: 3532
|
This course is intended to equip the student with a baseline understanding of issues and concepts that compose the Western philosophic enterprise, and to serve as a point of departure for their further studies in Philosophy.
| Registration Dates | Course Dates | Session | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/23/26 - 07/31/26 | 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 | Summer 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 04/27/26 - 10/02/26 | 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 | Fall 2026 Session B | 8 Week session |
| 05/25/26 - 10/30/26 | 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 | Fall 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 06/29/26 - 12/04/26 | 12/07/26 - 01/31/27 | Fall 2026 Session D | 8 Week session |
Course ID: 4952
|
Critical Thinking introduces skills, concepts, models, and techniques for reading, writing, and thinking critically. Critical thinking is a necessary process for identifying and solving problems in academia and the workplace, as well as interpreting information in the media. Through the use of critical and logical thought processes, students will develop practical, analytical skills that prepare them for the investigative nature of being life-long learners.
| Registration Dates | Course Dates | Session | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/23/26 - 07/31/26 | 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 | Summer 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 04/27/26 - 10/02/26 | 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 | Fall 2026 Session B | 8 Week session |
| 05/25/26 - 10/30/26 | 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 | Fall 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 06/29/26 - 12/04/26 | 12/07/26 - 01/31/27 | Fall 2026 Session D | 8 Week session |
Course ID: 3536
|
This course examines themes in the thought of Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoic, Epicurean, and neo-Platonist philosophers of the ancient world. It enables the student to enter the “great conversation” of western civilization as well as debate the fundamental questions that surround science, religion, self-awareness, ethics, and politics. (Prerequisite: PHIL101)
| Registration Dates | Course Dates | Session | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05/25/26 - 10/30/26 | 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 | Fall 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
Course ID: 3537
|
This course considers the synthesis of Christianity with classical pagan philosophy achieved by St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. What became of the ancients’ ideal of human knowledge in an age when philosophy became the “handmaid of theology"? What were the underpinnings of the “natural law” conception of moral and political philosophy? How did this medieval synthesis break down, on the scientific side with Galileo’s challenge to Aristotelian physics and astronomy, and on the moral and political side with Machiavelli’s portrayal of a Renaissance prince? (Note to Students: The course materials, assignments, learning outcomes, and expectations in this upper level undergraduate course assume that the student has completed all lower level general education and career planning coursework necessary to develop research, writing, and critical thinking skills. Students who have not fulfilled all general education requirements through courses or awarded transfer credit should strongly consider completing these requirements prior to registering for this course. (Prerequisite: PHIL101)
| Registration Dates | Course Dates | Session | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06/29/26 - 12/04/26 | 12/07/26 - 01/31/27 | Fall 2026 Session D | 8 Week session |
Course ID: 5414
|
This course focuses on the work of European philosophers from roughly 1600 to 1800. Students will study the philosophy of René Descartes and traces the development of philosophical rationalism and empiricism in thinkers such as John Locke, David Hume, and Baruch Spinoza. In addition, the class will cover the transcendental idealism of Immanuel Kant. (Prerequisite: PHIL101)
| Registration Dates | Course Dates | Session | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/23/26 - 07/31/26 | 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 | Summer 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 05/25/26 - 10/30/26 | 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 | Fall 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
Course ID: 5599
|
This contemporary philosophy course explores major figures, debates, and developments in Analytic, Continental, and Postmodern philosophy from the 19th century to the present. Students examine thinkers such as Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Sartre, Arendt, and Putnam. Emphasis is placed on philosophical arguments about individual liberty, moral and political philosophy, consciousness, and the nature of truth and existence. Through critical reading, writing, and discussion, students gain a deeper understanding of how contemporary philosophers continue to influence thought across society, science, government, and daily life. (Prerequisite: PHIL101).
Choose 15 credit hours from this section.
Course ID: 3037
|
This course will examine the field of ethics and provide the tools for ethical decision-making. Students will analyze texts for meaning, apply theories learned to various areas of moral concern, such as war, euthanasia, divorce, and poverty. The course will also provide an overview of how philosophers have thought about moral problems and some of the solutions they have proposed. Students will develop the ability to think about moral problems in a clear and logically consistent manner.
| Registration Dates | Course Dates | Session | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/23/26 - 07/31/26 | 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 | Summer 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 04/27/26 - 10/02/26 | 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 | Fall 2026 Session B | 8 Week session |
| 05/25/26 - 10/30/26 | 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 | Fall 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 06/29/26 - 12/04/26 | 12/07/26 - 01/31/27 | Fall 2026 Session D | 8 Week session |
Course ID: 4693
|
Philosophy of Science will introduce students to the origins and development of modern science and how that is distinguished from pseudo-science; the importance of deduction and induction and their separate methodologies; the process of the scientific method; scientific change and scientific revolutions, particularly that of Thomas Kuhn; and selected philosophical problems in the basic sciences, such as absolute space, biological classification, the modular mind, and recent discoveries of neuroscience.
| Registration Dates | Course Dates | Session | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/23/26 - 07/31/26 | 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 | Summer 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 04/27/26 - 10/02/26 | 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 | Fall 2026 Session B | 8 Week session |
| 05/25/26 - 10/30/26 | 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 | Fall 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 06/29/26 - 12/04/26 | 12/07/26 - 01/31/27 | Fall 2026 Session D | 8 Week session |
Course ID: 3533
|
This course is an examination of the historical and contemporary concepts and techniques used in logic, emphasizing classical and modern treatments of topics such as rules of inference. The course will cover the principles of deduction, induction, informal fallacies, and uses of logic in everyday life. (Prerequisite: PHIL101)
| Registration Dates | Course Dates | Session | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/23/26 - 07/31/26 | 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 | Summer 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 04/27/26 - 10/02/26 | 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 | Fall 2026 Session B | 8 Week session |
| 06/29/26 - 12/04/26 | 12/07/26 - 01/31/27 | Fall 2026 Session D | 8 Week session |
Course ID: 3542
|
This course is a study of environmental issues from a moral and philosophical approach. Issues raised in the course include the moral obligation, or lack thereof, to preserve and protect the environment, the ethical presumptions that underlie environmental policy, the traditional theories of moral philosophy applicable to contemporary environmental problems, and the potential for a new conception of the relationship between humanity and nature.
| Registration Dates | Course Dates | Session | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/23/26 - 07/31/26 | 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 | Summer 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 04/27/26 - 10/02/26 | 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 | Fall 2026 Session B | 8 Week session |
| 05/25/26 - 10/30/26 | 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 | Fall 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 06/29/26 - 12/04/26 | 12/07/26 - 01/31/27 | Fall 2026 Session D | 8 Week session |
Course ID: 5272
|
This course surveys the main issues in the philosophy of law. We will study seminal work on questions like “what is the law?”, “what is the relationship between the law and morality?”, “what does it mean for someone to be responsible for a crime?,” and “what makes a punishment reasonable?”
| Registration Dates | Course Dates | Session | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04/27/26 - 10/02/26 | 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 | Fall 2026 Session B | 8 Week session |
Course ID: 5273
|
This bioethics course examines some of the primary ethical issues in human health, biomedical research, and healthcare, as well as the ethical challenges they present. These philosophical problems are approached scientifically, argued rationally using ethical theory, and critically examined for practical application. Students will explore case studies and hypothetical situations that require judgment and decision-making, connecting philosophical principles to real-world dilemmas in medicine, law, science, and society. Although students are encouraged to think for themselves, they are required to demonstrate a clear understanding of different positions on any given issue, providing a strong foundation in biomedical ethics and the medical humanities.
| Registration Dates | Course Dates | Session | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/23/26 - 07/31/26 | 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 | Summer 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
| 05/25/26 - 10/30/26 | 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 | Fall 2026 Session I | 8 Week session |
Course ID: 5274
|
This course will cover basic themes in the topics of metaphysics and epistemology. It will investigate the basic question of "being," or what reality is most fundamentally, as well as the fundamental question of knowledge, or what distinguishes real knowledge from mere belief or opinion. Students will be asked to investigate questions regarding the existence or non-existence of God, and to critically examine leading metaphysical options such as theism, atheism, materialism, and idealism. They will also be considering questions regarding the acquisition and justification of various epistemic claims. Particular topics will include free will, determinism, skepticism, and truth.
| Registration Dates | Course Dates | Session | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06/29/26 - 12/04/26 | 12/07/26 - 01/31/27 | Fall 2026 Session D | 8 Week session |
Select any courses that have not been used to fulfill major requirements. Credits applied toward a minor or certificate in an unrelated field may be used to fulfill elective credit for the major.
Must take all courses for this section.
Course ID: 3547
|
This capstone course offers an intensive review of major figures and movements in the history of philosophical thought. Students will apply knowledge gained from previous courses to critically analyze influential movements, theories, and principles in both historical and contemporary philosophy. Students will also synthesize all research into a final project. This course is intended to be taken after successfully completing all other Philosophy courses. (Prerequisite: Completion of a minimum of 105 hours towards your program)
Admission Requirements
- All APU undergraduate programs require a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent (i.e., GED). Please read all undergraduate admission requirements before applying to this program and be prepared to submit the required documentation.
- There is no fee to complete the APU admission application for this program. View steps to apply.
Need Help?
Selecting the right program to meet your educational goals is a key step in ensuring a successful outcome. If you are unsure of which program to choose, or need more information, please contact an APU admissions representative at 877-755-2787 or [email protected].
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1The University reserves the right to accept or deny credits according to policies outlined on our University website. Please see the University's transfer credit policy webpage for complete information.
*Cost Per Credit Hour
The Preferred Military Rate is $250 per credit hour for undergraduate and master's-level courses. This rate is available to all U.S. active-duty servicemembers, National Guard members, Reservists, and military families, including parents, spouses, legal partners, siblings, and dependents.
See all military student benefits.
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