Biohumanities Track

The Department of Philosophy at UC has joined together with the Pre-Professional Advising Center to counsel interested Pre-Med students toward majoring in Philosophy on the Biohumanities Track. Biohumanities encompasses the philosophical study of the biological, cognitive, and medical sciences and their social and ethical dimensions. The program is designed primarily for Pre-Med students, but any student may pursue it.

UCs Department of Philosophy is internationally recognized for its excellence in research and teaching in philosophy and the life sciences, including the conceptual foundations of the biological, biomedical, neural, and cognitive sciences. Faculty in the department are also experts in ethics and applied ethics, particularly biomedical ethics, research ethics, ethics and technology, and the ethics of race in a medical context. Moreover, UC has designated its Philosophy of Science program a "USO Center of Excellence." There is, without a doubt, no better place to prepare for medical school than right here at UC --by majoring in philosophy on the biohumanities track.

To complete the Biohumanities track, simply declare a Philosophy major and then be sure to choose at least three courses from the list below when selecting your six Upper-Level Philosophy courses. Consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies if you would like to discuss special course substitutions or need advice on how to select courses that fit your interests and career goals. Students on the Biohumanities track must complete all the normal requirements of the Philosophy major.

Program Requirements:

  • PHIL 3020: Normative Ethics
  • PHIL 3028: Bioethics
  • PHIL 3040: Phil of Science
  • PHIL 3041:  Phil of Biology 

Majors must also satisfy all Pre-Med (science) A&S and UC requirements for minimum total of 120 semester hours. The philosophy major is 36 semester hours.

Why Philosophy/Biohumanities?

If you're interested in preparing to enter medical school upon graduation, then you're interested in what's generally called "Pre-Med." Now, most medical schools don't require a particular major. But in choosing a major, you should think hard about what you enjoy, what you're good at, what you really want to get out of your undergraduate experience, and what will best prepare you for continuing to medical school. Medical school admissions committees expect variety in educational programs; they want students who are well-rounded, who can think analytically, and who have good imaginations. Philosophy majors are among the best prepared of any pre-professional student. For instance, philosophers score among the highest on pre-admissions exams such as the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, or MCAT. Philosophers think analytically and creatively -this is the essence of the discipline. It's also the business of medicine. Medical school tests your ability to take in, organize, analyze, and theorize huge amounts of information. Let the biohumanities track in the philosophy major be your foundation.