Philosophy at CSUN

The Philosophy Department at CSUN has an excellent, well-trained faculty that is dedicated to nurturing the inner philosopher in each undergraduate. Class sizes are small, generally ranging from 20 to 34 students, which allows instructors to teach philosophy as it is taught at the most selective colleges and universities in America. A small class size creates a superior learning environment, where each student can explore his or her own philosophical views. It also allows the instructor to dedicate time to help each student strengthen his or her critical thinking, reading and writing skills.

Take a moment to explore our curriculum and the academic programs we offer. We are proud to offer a wide range of courses, with particular strength in Philosophy of Science, Applied Ethics, Social & Political Philosophy, and in the history of less-commonly taught Philosophical Traditions (such as Asian Philosophies, Africana Philosophy, and Indigenous Philosophy).

In addition to our small classes and dedicated faculty, there are several things that make our department distinctive.

Our Pluralist Commitment

Our Department's deep commitment to philosophical pluralism means that students in our courses encounter philosophy in a wide variety of styles and forms as it is practiced all over the world. In fact, we are one of very few philosophy programs in the country to regularly offer courses in areas like American Indian Philosophy, the History of American Philosophy, Philosophy of Disability, or Japanese Philosophy, and in Fall 2026, we will offer the nation's first B.A. program in Philosophy with an explicit focus on underrepresented philosophical traditions (that is, traditions less commonly taught in North American colleges and universities).

Flexible Degree Programs

Most of our courses are part of the University's General Education curriculum, meaning that you can explore your interest in philosophy (whether or not you choose to major or minor) without impacting your time-to-degree. Not sure where to start? Check out our reading guides or take our interactive quiz, which can help pair you with some of our philosophy courses and will let you explore our course offerings in GE.

Interested in Law School? Philosophy is great preparation (with philosophers regularly outperforming other majors on the LSAT). We are also excited to be a participating program in the 3+3 partnership between CSUN and Southwestern Law School, allowing qualifying students to complete both a B.A. and a J.D. in 6 (instead of the usual 7) years.

Interdisciplinary Engagement

Many of our courses are requirements or electives in other programs (including Political Science, Business Administration, Computer Science, Linguistics, and Marketing). This makes double majoring in Philosophy alongside one of these fields a natural fit! The Philosophy Department also enjoys strong ties to the Department of Biology—where faculty from both departments jointly teach courses on the intersection of biology and philosophy—and to interdisciplinary programs such as American Indian Studies, Asian Studies, Queer Studies, and Disability Studies. We also offer our own interdisciplinary minor in Philosophy and Emerging Technologies.

Low- and Zero-Cost Course Materials

We know how quickly expensive textbooks and other course materials can drive up the cost of your degree. We work hard to make philosophy accessible to anyone and everyone, and we are proud to utilize materials in the majority of our courses that are zero-cost to our students. In fact, our average course materials cost is just $15.00. We also maintain a expansive library collection in Sierra Tower. Is there something you're interested in reading? Just ask!

Intellectual Community

We have a passionate community of students and faculty who are always excited to talk philosophy. 

• Student Philosophy Conference: Each year, the department hosts an annual student philosophy conference, where select students have the opportunity to present a paper in a professional setting with commentary from faculty. 
• CSUN Student Philosophical Association: There is also a very active student-run weekly philosophy meeting open to everyone on campus, where students and faculty are invited to discuss a wide range of issues in a fun and relaxed setting. 

Recognition of Outstanding Students

Each year the faculty recognizes an outstanding graduating Senior with the Sidney A. Luckenbach Award, celebrating our students for their passion and their academic success! We also offer an Honors major option to qualifying students. To qualify, students must be declared Philosophy majors, have completed at least 9 upper-division units in Philosophy at CSUN, maintain a major GPA of 3.5 and an overall GPA of 3.3, and obtain a faculty recommendation. Graduating with honors requires completing a minimum of 45 letter-graded units at CSUN, maintaining the required GPAs, and successfully completing an Honors Thesis in their senior year. Graduates receive a special certificate, and “Honors in Philosophy” is noted on their transcript.

Mentorship and Academic Support

Our faculty is always available to provide mentorship and support to our students, including advisement on course selection, career plans, and applying to graduate school. We also run a thriving tutoring program staffed by dedicated students that offers support in critical thinking, logic, and reading and writing in philosophy across all our GE course offerings.

Career Success

Our majors go on to do great things! Recent graduates are employed in universities, libraries, secondary schools, law firms, film production studios, software companies, museums, and more! They are also artists, actors, and novelists, reflecting the many paths that students of philosophy can follow. Curious about the world opened up by a degree in philosophy? Check out our page on the benefits of studying philosophy.