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Philosophy and Health Sciences Joint Major

Bachelor of Arts

Students may opt for a bachelor of arts through the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences or a bachelor of arts through the Faculty of Health Sciences. Faculty degree requirements will be governed by the faculty through which the student chooses to complete the degree.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the joint major in philosophy and health sciences, students must complete:

(A) one of the following HSCI courses with a minimum grade of C-:

  • HSCI 100 (or BISC 101), HSCI 130, HSCI 204, HSCI 207, HSCI 210, HSCI 211, HSCI 212, HSCI 214, HSCI 216, HSCI 220, or HSCI 230

and (B) one of the following PHIL courses with a minimum grade of C-:

  • PHIL 201 or PHIL 203.

Program Requirements

Courses used toward the upper division philosophy requirements may not be used as part of health sciences credit requirements, and vice versa. Any lower division course that counts toward the separate requirements for philosophy and health sciences may be counted toward both.

Students are required to satisfy the prerequisites of all courses (upper and lower division) that are taken within this joint major and should consult regularly with the program advisors regarding course selection.

Students complete 120 units, as specified below.

Lower Division Health Sciences Requirements

Students complete a minimum of 15 units, including both of

HSCI 100 - Human Biology (3)
HSCI 130 - Foundations of Health Science (4)

and at least three of

HSCI 204 - Perspectives on Human Health and the Environment (3)
HSCI 207 - Research Methods in Health Sciences (3)
HSCI 210 - Special Topics in Health Sciences (3)
HSCI 211 - Perspectives on Cancer, Cardiovascular, and Metabolic Diseases (3)
HSCI 212 - Perspectives on Infectious and Immunological Diseases (3)
HSCI 214 - Perspectives on Mental Health and Illness (3)
HSCI 216 - Ecological Determinants of Human Growth, Development and Health (3)
HSCI 220 - Indigenous Experiences of Health (3)
HSCI 230 - Evaluating Epidemiological Research (3)

and one of

STAT 201 - Statistics for the Life Sciences (3)
STAT 203 - Introduction to Statistics for the Social Sciences (3)
STAT 205 - Introduction to Statistics (3)

Lower Division Philosophy Requirements

In selecting lower division courses, students are advised to consider the prerequisite structure for upper division courses in philosophy.

Students complete a minimum of 12 units, including at least one of

PHIL 100W - Knowledge and Reality (3)
PHIL 120W - Moral and Legal Problems (3)
PHIL 121 - Global Justice (3)
PHIL 144 - Introduction to Philosophy of Science (3)
PHIL 150 - Great Works in the History of Philosophy (3)

and

PHIL 110 - Introduction to Logic and Reasoning (3)

and two of

PHIL 201 - Epistemology (3)
PHIL 203 - Metaphysics (3)
PHIL 221 - Ethical Theory (3)

Upper Division Health Sciences Requirements

Students complete a minimum of 21 upper division health sciences units, including all of

HSCI 305 - The Canadian Health System (3)
HSCI 319W - Applied Health Ethics (3)
HSCI 327 - Global Health Ethics (3)
HSCI 340 - Social Determinants of Health (3)
HSCI 488 - Directed Studies in Health Sciences (3)

Upper Division Philosophy Requirements

Students complete a total of 20 upper division philosophy units, including

PHIL 467W - Advanced Seminar (4)

and at least one of

PHIL 320 - Social and Political Philosophy (3)
PHIL 321 - Topics in Moral Philosophy (3)
PHIL 322 - History of Ethics (3)
PHIL 326 - Topics in Law and Philosophy (3)
PHIL 328 - Environmental Philosophy (3)
PHIL 329 - Law and Justice (3)

and at least one of

PHIL 302 - Topics in Epistemology and Metaphysics (3)
PHIL 341 - Philosophy of Science (3)
PHIL 343 - Topics in the Philosophy of Mind (3)
PHIL 344 - Topics in the Philosophy of Language (3)
PHIL 345W - Philosophy of Mathematics (3)

and at least one of

PHIL 322 - History of Ethics (3) *
PHIL 350 - Ancient Philosophy (3)
PHIL 352 - 17th Century Philosophy (3)
PHIL 356 - 18th Century Philosophy (3)
PHIL 357 - Topics in the History of Philosophy (3)
PHIL 358 - 19th Century Philosophy (3)

PHIL 300 may not be used to satisfy the upper division requirements of this program.

* if not taken in satisfaction of requirement above

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Degree Requirements

For all bachelor of arts (BA) programs, students complete 120 units, which includes

  • at least 60 units that must be completed at Simon Fraser University
  • at least 45 upper division units, of which at least 30 upper division units must be completed at Simon Fraser University
  • at least 60 units (including 21 upper division units) in Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences courses
  • satisfaction of the writing, quantitative, and breadth requirements
  • an overall cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and upper division overall CGPA of at least 2.0, and program CGPA and upper division program CGPA of at least 2.0 on the course work used to satisfy the minimum program requirements. FASS departments may define additional GPA requirements for their respective programs.

Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements

Students admitted to Simon Fraser University beginning in the fall 2006 term must meet writing, quantitative and breadth requirements as part of any degree program they may undertake. See Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements for university-wide information.

WQB Graduation Requirements

A grade of C- or better is required to earn W, Q or B credit

Requirement

Units

Notes
W - Writing

6

Must include at least one upper division course, taken at Simon Fraser University within the student's major subject; two courses (minimum three units each)

Q - Quantitative

6

Q courses may be lower or upper division; two courses (total six units or more)
B - Breadth

18

Designated Breadth

Must be outside the student's major subject, and may be lower or upper division:

Two courses (total six units or more) Social Sciences: B-Soc
Two courses (total six units or more) Humanities: B-Hum
Two courses (total six units or more) Sciences: B-Sci

6

Additional Breadth

Two courses (total six units or more) outside the student's major subject (may or may not be B-designated courses, and will likely help fulfil individual degree program requirements).

Students choosing to complete a joint major, joint honours, double major, two extended minors, an extended minor and a minor, or two minors may satisfy the breadth requirements (designated or not designated) with courses completed in either one or both program areas.

Residency Requirements and Transfer Credit

  • At least half of the program's total units must be earned through Simon Fraser University study.
  • At least two thirds of the program's total upper division units must be earned through Simon Fraser University study.

Elective Courses

In addition to the courses listed above, students should consult an academic advisor to plan the remaining required elective courses.