Pre-Philosophy, A.A. (General Transfer)

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Academic Program Code: 531

This academic program lays the foundation for students to transfer to a 4-year institution to complete a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy. Philosophers study the nature of reality, the ways people can understand and explain the world around them and within them, and theories of morality, justice and good society. Essentially, philosophy is divided into three subfields: metaphysics (nature of reality), epistemology (nature of knowledge), and ethics (nature of morality and justice). The courses in the pre-major provide a solid preparation for the advanced study in all of the three areas in philosophy and are transferable to colleges and universities in Michigan. By declaring this pre-major, students are on track to graduate with both an Associate of Arts degree from GRCC and a bachelor’s degree from a four-year institution. Philosophy graduates pursue careers and graduate education in the fields of law, journalism, political science, medicine, and business.

General Transfer Notes & Michigan Transfer Agreement

The coursework needed to complete this program is listed below. The courses commonly transfer and satisfy 4-year program requirements at 4-year institutions in Michigan.

To ensure maximum transferability of individual courses, all course selections should be based on the degree, major, minor, or academic interest at the 4-year transfer institution students plan to attend.

Students should research and utilize all transfer resources available to maximize the number of GRCC courses that transfer and apply to their 4-year program.

Because transferability of courses varies by institution, students should contact the 4-year institution they plan to attend to obtain detailed information about transfer requirements. The 4-year institutions ultimately make the decisions about how each course will be used to meet their program requirements.

GRCC advisors and faculty are available to help students navigate transfer resources and create an individualized transfer plan, including selection of courses, which meets all GRCC and transfer institution requirements.

Graduates of this program will earn an Associate of Arts degree from GRCC and may be eligible to earn the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) credential.

Admission requirements to 4-year institutions and 4-year programs vary. Students should review the specific admission requirements for the institution and program to which they are transferring.

General Education Courses

Select a minimum of 30 credit hours of course work from the General Education course list. Select coursework as directed below. Use transfer resources available to select coursework based on the transfer requirements of the bachelor’s degree program and institution to which you are transferring.

English Composition and Communications

EN 101 - English Composition I Credit Hours: 3
Select one (1) course from the list below.
EN 102 - English Composition II Credit Hours: 3
COM 131 - Fundamentals of Public Speaking Credit Hours: 3
COM 135 - Interpersonal Communication Credit Hours: 3

Humanities

Select one (1) Humanities General Education Elective from a subject other than PL.

PL 202 - Introduction to Logic Credit Hours: 3
Humanities General Education - Elective Credit Hours: varies by course

Social Sciences

Select two (2) Social Sciences General Education Electives from two (2) different subject areas.

Social Sciences General Education - Elective Credit Hours: varies by course
Social Sciences General Education - Elective Credit Hours: varies by course

Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Natural Sciences

Select two (2) Natural Sciences General Education courses from two (2) different subject areas; one (1) must be a lab.

Nat Sci Lab/Non Lab General Education - Elective Credit Hours: varies by course
Nat Sci Lab General Education - Elective Credit Hours: varies by course

Mathematics

Select one (1) Mathematics General Education Elective.

Mathematics General Education - Elective Credit Hours: varies by course

General Education Total Credit Hours

30 (minimum)

Program Elective Courses

Select a minimum of two (2) courses from the list below based on your transfer requirements. You may be able to select more than the minimum number of courses required for this section depending on the program and degree requirements at the institution to which you are transferring.

PL 201 - Introduction to Philosophy Credit Hours: 3
PL 205 - Introduction to Ethics Credit Hours: 3
PL 206 - Biomedical Ethics Credit Hours: 3
PL 207 - Contemporary Moral Choices Credit Hours: 3
PL 209 - Business Ethics Credit Hours: 3

Open Elective Courses

The remaining number of courses needed to complete the program will depend on the number of credit hours remaining needed to reach the 60 credits required for graduation. Course selections should be made based on transfer requirements.