Choosing a First Course in Philosophy
One of the following courses constitutes an appropriate first course in philosophy, as well as serving as a prerequisite for 200-level courses that are required for the philosophy major: PHILO 101, 103, 104, 106, and 204. PHILO 106 is recommended for students considering the Philosophy, Politics, & Society concentration. Note: none of these courses count toward the major requirements, though one is a prerequisite for declaring a major.

Course Prerequisites
ENGL 120 and one previous course in philosophy are prerequisite to all 200-level courses, except where otherwise noted. Two courses in philosophy, at least one of which is at the 200 level, are prerequisite to all 300-level courses. The department especially encourages students majoring in or interested in philosophy, both with less than 6 credits toward the major in philosophy, to consult with a departmental adviser about courses and their prerequisites at this stage of their academic stay at Hunter.

Hunter GER and Common Core Requirements include:

Writing Intensive courses:
Philosophy majors should note that a large number of courses offered by the department are W courses and can therefore be counted toward that requirement. While any foreign language offered at Hunter College can be used to fulfill the requirement, languages particularly appropriate for philosophy majors are German, Greek, French, Latin and, to a lesser extent, Arabic and Chinese.

Courses for Plluraism and Diversity: 
 In fulfilling the pluralism and diversity requirement, philosophy majors should note the following courses in the department that meet this requirement: PHILO 219 and PHILO 221 for Group A, PHILO 226 for Group B, PHILO 230 for Group C, and PHILO 106, 201, 204, 212, 214, 215, 218, 225, and 228 for Group D.

For Students who started at Hunter in Fall 2013 or later:

Presently PHILO 101, 104, 205, and HUM 110 satisfy the Individual and Society - Humanities category and PHILO 106 satisfies the Individual and Society - Social Sciences category. 

For Students who started at Hunter prior to Fall 2013:

General Education Requirement (GER)

PHILO 101, 103, 104, 106 or 204, or HUM 110(W) may be used to fulfill Broad Exposure/Stage 2, Group C beyond the introductory level,  PHILO 201(W), 212(W), 214(W), 215(W), 216, 218(W), 219, 220(W), 225(W), 226(W), 228(W), 230(W), 244(W), 256(W), 258(W), 262(W), 320(W), 360(W), 362(W), 364(W), 366(W), 380(W), 381(W), 383(W), 384(W), 386(W), 387(W), 388(W), or 389(W) may be used to fulfill Focused Exposure/Stage 3, Group A. PHILO 246(W), 248(W), 250(W), 252, 254(W), 268(W), 270(W), 275, 279, 375, 376(W), or 379(W) may be used to fulfill Focused Exposure/Stage 3, Group B.

Recommended GER Courses for Philosophy Majors
In general, students should follow their interests in selecting courses to satisfy the GER. However, some courses are recommended for philosophy majors satisfying the requirement. In satisfying Stage 2, Group B (social science), courses in history are particularly appropriate—for instance, HIST 201 for those interested in ancient philosophy or HIST 121 or 122 for those interested in modern philosophy. In addition, since research in psychology and anthropology is frequently relevant to issues in contemporary philosophy, courses such as PSYCH 100 or ANTHC 101 are recommended. Prospective majors should note that all of the courses that are prerequisites for the major (PHILO 101, 103, 104, 106, 204) also satisfy the Stage 2, Group C (humanities) requirement. In satisfying Stage 2, Group D (visual and performing arts), courses related to debates in aesthetics, such as ART H 111 or MUSHL 101, are especially recommended. In satisfying Stage 2, Group E (natural science), courses in physics or biological sciences are particularly appropriate—especially PHYS 101 or, for those students with the relevant prerequisites, PHYS 110 and 111 or BIOL 100 and 102. In addition, SCI 101 and 102 may also be a good way to fulfill this requirement, particularly for those who are intending to become teachers. While a number of courses in philosophy may be used to satisfy the Stage 3, Groups A or B requirements, these may not count toward the philosophy major and so must be taken in addition to courses that satisfy major requirements.