For best results, print using Chrome.
 Jump to Transfer Major Map
 Jump to recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2025-2026

Philosophy, Bachelor of Arts (NEXT STEP Pathway)

VCU

Community college:
Associate of Science in Social Sciences (Reynolds Community College)
Reynolds Community College
Reynolds Community College
Associate degree

Associate of Science in Social Sciences 

Completing the associate degree will waive VCU's general education requirements.

Program description

Philosophy aims at a deeper understanding of matters that should most concern the human race. Philosophical questions crop up in science, religion, art, morality, politics, medicine and in everyday life. Philosophy Students enrolled in philosophy are encouraged to think seriously about fundamental issues in all these domains and to formulate coherent and well-grounded points of view. Because of its extensive use of critical and analytical reasoning, philosophy equips students for careers in medicine, law, business and other fields that require careful thought and the clear expression of ideas.


Majors intending to pursue graduate studies in philosophy are advised to follow this curriculum.

Career opportunities

An undergraduate degree in philosophy is good preparation for graduate study in areas such as law or public administration. Obtain leadership roles in school or community organizations. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are imperative for most careers related to law, politics, or government. Gain experience in fundraising and grant writing techniques. Nonprofit and educational organizations are often funded in this manner. Part-time and summer jobs, internships, and volunteer positions are critical to gaining the experience and skills that employers seek.

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Compliance Manager
  • Congressional Aide
  • Editor
  • Labor Relations Specialist
  • Management Analyst
  • Medical Records and Health Information Technicians
  • Paralegal
  • Social and Human Services Assistant
  • Social Science Research Assistant
  • Technical Writer
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Attorney
  • Legislator
  • Policy Advisor
  • Religious Leader or Chaplain
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Guaranteed transfer admission requirements

Students are guaranteed admission to this degree program with:

  • Completion of the associate degree
  • Minimum GPA of 2.5
  • All courses completed with a "C" grade or better
Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • Quantitative Foundations requirement only
Science required
  • Natural Sciences requirement only
Foreign language requirements
  • Yes
Additional tuition/fees
  • No
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.0+ cumulative GPA, 2.0+ major GPA
VCU Major Maps

View VCU Major Map for Philosophy with concentration in Ethics and Public Policy, Philosophy and Law, Philosophy and Science

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2025-2026

Philosophy, Bachelor of Arts (NEXT STEP Pathway)

Reynolds Community College (Associate of Science in Social Sciences)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Attend cultural events at community college and VCU to celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
Experience Year 2
  • Submit the NEXT Step Interest Form.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Philosophy department, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Attend cultural events at community college and VCU to celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Submit the NEXT Step Interest Form.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Philosophy department, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2025-2026

Philosophy, Bachelor of Arts (NEXT STEP Pathway)

Reynolds Community College (Associate of Science in Social Sciences)

Reynolds Community College courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
Year 1
SDV 100 College Success Skills UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I UNIV 111-112 3 General education
ITE 152 Introduction to Digital Literacy BUSN 1XX 3 Elective
World Language Select one: ASL 101 Beginning American Sign Language I, or FRE 101 Beginning French I, or SPA 101 Beginning Spanish I Note: students are eligible for a waiver of VCU's language requirement if they successfully completed through the third level of a foreign language in high school. VCU equivalent 4 Major (Ancillary)
MTH Select one: MTH 154 Quantitative Reasoning or MTH 161 Precalculus I MATH 131 or MATH 141 3 General education
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 200 3 General education
Science Select one: BIO 101 General Biology I, CHM 111 General Chemistry I, or GOL 105 Physical Geology VCU equivalent 4 General education
World Language Select second course in the language sequence: ASL 102 Beginning American Sign Language II, or FRE 102 Beginning French II, or SPA 102 Beginning Spanish II VCU equivalent 4 Major (Ancillary)
History Select one: HIS 101 Western Civilizations pre-1600 CE or HIS 121 United States History to 1877 HIST 101 or HIST 103 3 General education
PHI 220 Ethics PHIL 201 3 Major (Ancillary)
Year 2
History Select one: HIS 102 Western Civilizations Post-1600 CE or HIS 122 United States History since 1877. HIST 102 or HIST 104 3 General education
MTH Select one: MTH 245 Statistics I or MTH 261 Applied Calculus I STAT 210 or BUSN 212 3 Elective
Science Select second course in the science sequence: BIO 102 General Biology II, CHM 112 General Chemistry II, or GOL 106 Historical Geology VCU equivalent 4 General education
Literature Select one: ENG 246 American Literature or ENG 258 African American Literature. ENGL 3 General education
Social Science Select one: PSY 200 Principles of Psychology or SOC 200 Principles of Sociology PSYC 101 or SOCY 101 3 General education
Literature Select one: ENG 225 Reading Literature: Culture and Ideas, or ENG 245 British Literature, or ENG 246 American Literature, or ENG 250 Children’s Literature, or ENG 255 World Literature, or ENG 258 African American Literature, or ENG 275 Women’s Literature. VCU equivalent 3 Elective
Social Science Select one: PSY 200 Principles of Psychology, PSY 230 Developmental Psychology, or SOC 200 Principles of Sociology. VCU equivalent 3 Elective
PHI 100 Introduction to Philosophy I PHIL 101 3 Major (Elective)
PHI 111 Logic I PHIL 221 3 Major (Elective)
Select one: CST 100 Principles of Public Speaking, or CST 110 Introduction to Human Communication, or PLS 135 U.S. Government and Politics, or GEO 210 People and the Land. VCU equivalent 3 Elective
Reynolds credits transferred to VCU 60 to 61
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
Year 3
PHIL 103 Ancient Greek and Medieval Western Philosophy 3 Major
PHIL 222 Logic 3 Major
Foreign Language 101 or elective (if FRE 101 or SPA 101 was taken at Reynolds). Note: students are eligible for a waiver of VCU's language requirement if they successfully completed through the third level of a foreign language in high school. 3 Major (Ancillary)
Open electives (consider a minor or second major) Note: Students must complete a minimum of 45 upper-level credits to graduate from VCU. 6 Elective
PHIL 104 Modern Western Philosophy 3 Major
PHIL Select one of the following: PHIL 300 Philosophical Concepts, or PHIL 301 Metaphysics, or PHIL 302 Epistemology, or PHIL 303 Philosophy of Language, or PHIL 304 Philosophy of Mind, or PHIL 331 Philosophy of Science, or PHIL 332 Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence, or PHIL 333 Philosophy of Medicine. 3 Major
Foreign Language 102 or elective (students are eligible for a waiver of VCU's language requirement if they successfully completed through the third level of a foreign language in high school). 3 Major (Ancillary)
Open electives (consider a minor or second major) Note: Students must complete a minimum of 45 upper-level credits to graduate from VCU. 6 Elective
Year 4
PHIL Select one of the following: PHIL 320 Philosophy of Law, or PHIL 327 Normative Ethics, or PHIL 328 Metaethics, or PHIL 335 Social and Political Philosophy 3 Major
PHIL Select one of the following: PHIL 301 Metaphysics, or PHIL 300 Philosophical Concepts, or PHIL 302 Epistemology, or PHIL 303 Philosophy of Language, or PHIL 304 Philosophy of Mind, or PHIL 320 Philosophy of Law, or PHIL 327 Normative Ethics, or PHIL 328 Metaethics, or PHIL 331 Philosophy of Science, or PHIL 332 Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence, or PHIL 333 Philosophy of Medicine, or PHIL 335 Social and Political Philosophy, or PHIL 391 Topics in Philosophy. 3 Major
PHIL PHIL elective (300-level or higher) 3 Major
Open electives (consider a minor or second major) 6 Elective
PHIL 490 Seminar in Philosophy 3 Major
Open electives (consider a minor or second major) 12 Elective
Credits completed at VCU 60
Minimum credits required for bachelor's degree 120