Philosophy (Major) at Simon Fraser University

Programme overview

The Philosophy Major is a 120-unit Bachelor of Arts in philosophy with an optional concentration in Law and Philosophy. Students complete a core in logic, epistemology, metaphysics and ethics, then at least 30 upper division philosophy units.

Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences | Department: Department of Philosophy | Study mode: full-time | Location: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

What you will study

Lower division work covers PHIL 110 Introduction to Logic and Reasoning, PHIL 150 Great Works in the History of Philosophy, PHIL 201 Epistemology, PHIL 203 Metaphysics and PHIL 221 Ethical Theory. Upper division options include ethics and law (PHIL 320, 321, 322, 326, 329), philosophy of science, mind, language and mathematics, and history of philosophy from ancient to 19th century.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Philosophy Major: a minimum philosophy cumulative GPA and upper division GPA of 2.0 (calculated on all SFU PHIL courses) is required. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (all programs), Ontario secondary school applicants: six Grade 12 U/M courses including ENG4U (minimum 70%); Grade 11: ENG3U, MCF3M or MCR3U, and one of SBI3U, SCH3U, SVN3M or SPH3U. Grade 12 List A: ENG4U, one of Math 4U or Science 4U, one Social Studies 4U/M, one of Math 4U, Science 4U/M, Social Studies 4U/M or Language 4U/DU, and two additional List A or B courses. Admission is based on all approved Grade 11 and 12 courses with greater weight on List A, plus English language and quantitative and analytical skills requirements.

Requirements published at faculty level.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the courses you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Fall (September), Spring (January) and Summer (May) terms; most students start in the fall term.

Fall 2027: high school applications open 1 October 2026 and close 31 January 2027; other post-secondary transfer applications open 1 March 2027 and close 15 April 2027. Summer 2027: all applications open 1 December 2026 and close 15 January 2027. Spring 2027: all applications opened 1 July 2026 and close 15 September 2026.

The non-refundable application fee is 86 CAD for domestic students and 130 CAD for international students, payable online by credit card. Applications are submitted through EducationPlannerBC.

Apply through the official page: https://www.sfu.ca/students/admission.html

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