Courses for your Philosophy degree

First-year courses

As an Arts student, you’ll choose your major at the end of first year. You’re encouraged to explore a second major in first year to discover potential new interests.

In your Arts First courses, instead of going to a lecture hall, you and your classmates will work together to respond to an intriguing challenge. With only 25 students in each of the two first-year courses, you might address topics such as The Science of Happiness, Are We Erasing History?, Games and Culture, and Writing About Poems and Songs.

You can choose to study Philosophy through Honours Arts or Honours Arts and Business.

Honours Arts

September to December

Choose one course from
- PHIL 101 – Challenging Ideas: An Introduction to Philosophy
- PHIL 121 – Moral Issues
- PHIL 145 – Critical Thinking
Arts First requirement 1
Prospective major #2
Two electives

January to April

Choose one course from
- PHIL 101 – Challenging Ideas: An Introduction to Philosophy
- PHIL 121 – Moral Issues
- PHIL 145 – Critical Thinking
Arts First requirement 2
Prospective major #2
Two electives

This is a sample schedule. Courses or when a course is offered may change depending on availability.

Honours Arts and Business

September to December

ARBUS 101 – Introduction to Business in North America
ECON 101 – Introduction to Microeconomics
Arts First Requirement 1
Prospective major #2

Plus one course from

PHIL 101 – Challenging Ideas: An Introduction to Philosophy
PHIL 121 – Moral Issues
PHIL 145 – Critical Thinking

January to April

ARBUS 102 – Accounting Information for Managers
ARBUS 202 – Professional and Business Ethics
Arts First Requirement 2
Prospective major #2

Plus one course from

PHIL 101 – Challenging Ideas: An Introduction to Philosophy
PHIL 121 – Moral Issues
PHIL 145 – Critical Thinking

This is a sample schedule. Courses or when a course is offered may change depending on availability.

After first year

About 40% of the classes you’ll take will be Philosophy courses. With your remaining classes, you can choose electives from many of the 100 subject areas at Waterloo.

Sample upper-year courses

PHIL 201 – Philosophy of Sex and Love
PHIL 208 – Philosophy Through Science Fiction
PHIL 327 – Philosophy of Law
PHIL 356 – Intelligence in Machines, Humans, and Other Animals

Advisors are here to help

With so much flexibility, you might have a lot of questions. We're here to help! If you're applying for admission, contact our Faculty of Arts recruitment team.

Once you're a Waterloo student, you'll have access to academic advisors who can help you