The Philosophy Post-baccalaureate Certificate will enable postgraduate students with diverse backgrounds to gain intermediate knowledge of at least one philosophical sub-discipline. It will also lead them to strengthen their skills in analytical and critical writing, ethical decision-making, pedagogy, and research literacy. By doing so, it will complement students’ prior studies and prepare them for professional positions which require strong analytical and ethical skills (e.g., policy analyst, ethical counselor, community college teacher or speechwriter).

 

Additionally, this program will also allow students time to carefully consider pursuing a Philosophy MA degree through the completion of advanced coursework and meetings with philosophy faculty. We expect most students to complete the certificate over the course of two semesters. Students who wish to continue towards completion of the Philosophy master’s degree should transfer into the program before their third semester. Students who require a third semester to complete the certificate should contact the Philosophy Graduate Program Co-Directors for more information.

 

The Philosophy Graduate Program Co-Directors serve as advisors for the certificate program and will review all student programs of study to ensure that students take at least one 3-unit course to fulfill each program requirement (Analytical and Critical Writing, Pedagogy and Research Literacy, Intermediate Philosophical Knowledge of a Philosophical Subdiscipline and Ethical Decision-Making).

 

Advanced certificate programs offer post-baccalaureate students coursework leading to a specific, applied, focused goal. In order to be eligible for admission to an advanced certificate, students complete an intake form or apply through CalState Apply and submit an official transcript(s) (noting the completion of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from an accredited and/or recognized institution from a foreign country). To be admitted, students must have a minimum of 2.5 undergraduate GPA.

Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in all advanced certificate coursework, and no course with a grade less than “C” may be counted toward the certificate. A maximum of 4 units of coursework with a grade of “C” can count toward an advanced certificate. A maximum of 4 units of coursework may be repeated. Undergraduate lower division courses are not applicable to advanced certificates.

Generally, a maximum of 33% of advanced certificate units (e.g., 3 units for a 9-unit certificate) can be completed in non-matriculated status at SJSU with approval from the department or school. In some cases, an advanced certificate may be completed entirely in non-matriculated status if the student has received approval from the department or school and the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs in the College of Graduate Studies.

A maximum of 30% of any graduate degree program units (e.g., 9 units for a 30-unit Master’s degree) can be completed from another institution and/or units from Open University (including advanced certificate courses) at SJSU with approval from the department or school.

The choice of grading requirements may have implications for transferability to degree programs (University Policy S16-17). 

The advisor/director of the program is responsible for verifying a student’s satisfactory completion of the academic requirements established for the program and for forwarding a copy of the certificate audit completion form to the Office of Graduate Admissions and Program Evaluations. The Office of the Registrar records the completion of the program on the student’s transcript.

To receive the Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Philosophy, students must complete the following twelve units of required coursework: