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Ethics and Critical Thinking

Ethics and Critical Thinking

Pair with any bachelor’s degree

Versatile and practical no matter your primary area of study, the Ethics and Critical Thinking certificate will help you view complex issues through a variety of lenses and expand your ability to analyze information from multiple perspectives.

Program Overview

Ethics and Critical Thinking

Expand your perspectives inside and outside the classroom.

The Ethics and Critical Thinking certificate will help you enhance your respective major with a focus on ethics, critical thinking and reasoning, or a combination of both. Through earning this certificate, you’ll have a basic understanding of general philosophy, with a proficiency in critical thinking or ethics, depending on your chosen area of study. Through a combination of lower division skills-based courses in ethics and/or critical thinking, coupled with an upper division course focusing on a specific field of philosophy, you will graduate with the necessary breadth and depth of skill and knowledge to prepare you for the rigors of your chosen career, as well as provide the versatility necessary to adapt to a shifting career landscape.

Because this certificate is not part of one specific academic program, you can tailor the courses you take to best fit your academic and career goals and interests while building a valuable professional skillset that will help you contribute positively to the workplace no matter your industry.

Challenge your ways of thinking

This certificate will help you hone your analysis, research and evaluation skills to find deeper understanding of subject matter in your primary area of study.

Program Requirements

At Western, course rotations are crafted to encompass a variety of subject fields for a comprehensive education and versatile degree. For required courses and degree plans, visit the official University Catalog. Below is a general overview of courses at Western Colorado University related to this area of study.

Certificate Requirements

Continuation in the program is based on the successful completion of Introduction to Philosophy (PHIL 101), followed by two of four specified lower-division philosophy courses, and one of six specified upper division philosophy courses.

Course List
Code Title Credits
PHIL 101Introduction to Philosophy (GT-AH3)3
Select SIX credits of the following:6
PHIL 100
Critical Thinking
PHIL 135
Introduction to Ethics
PHIL 200
Symbolic Logic
Select THREE credits of the following:3
ENVS 410
Environmental Ethics
PHIL 315
Eastern Philosophy
PHIL 325
Women and Gender in Philosophy
PHIL 335
Advanced Ethics
PHIL 345
Philosophy of Religion
PHIL 355
Philosophy of Science and Epistemology
PHIL 375
Postcolonial Philosophy
PHIL 401
Reality and Representation
Total Credits12

Careers


Top Skills

  • Critical Thinking
  • Debate Techniques
  • Effective Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Teamwork
  • Written and Verbal Rhetorical Skills



Career Pathways

  • Academic Researcher
  • Bioethicist
  • Ethics Consultant
  • Journalism and Media Ethicist
  • Legal Ethics Advisor
  • Professor

Take the first steps toward your academic and personal growth.

Fostering your intellectual development is the primary focus of every academic program at Western. Our professors and Office of Career Services will help you identify your strengths, hone your skills, define your goals, and prepare for a fulfilling and enriched life after graduation. Wondering how you can apply your program of choice to your intellectual and personal journey? Check out our “What Can I Do With This Major?” tool to explore the diverse opportunities and pathways within any degree program.

Scholarships

Western’s Scholarship Application portal allows you to search for, apply to and manage your scholarship opportunities. This platform houses over 300+ departmental and privately funded scholarship opportunities available to both new and returning students. Through the scholarship portal, students may identify scholarship opportunities based on academic program, campus involvement, academic standing, specific keywords and more. Students may click below to begin learning about what scholarship opportunities are available to them.

Please check individual scholarship opportunity start dates and deadlines as there are exceptions.

Find your Scholarships

Western’s Scholarship Application portal allows you to search for, apply to and manage your scholarship opportunities. This platform houses over 300+ departmental and privately funded scholarship opportunities available to both new and returning students. Through the scholarship portal, students may identify scholarship opportunities based on academic program, campus involvement, academic standing, specific keywords and more. Students may click below to begin learning about what scholarship opportunities are available to them.

Please check individual scholarship opportunity start dates and deadlines as there are exceptions.

Find your Scholarships

Alumni Association Future Alumni Scholarship

The Alumni Association Scholarship is a one-time scholarship of $1,000 and is applicable for the student’s junior or senior year at Western.

Any child or grandchild of an alumni is eligible to receive the Future Alumni Scholarship.

  • This is a one-time non-renewable scholarship of $1,000.
  • Only one Future Alumni Scholarship will be awarded per academic year.
  • GPA must be 3.2 or above (college).

Due date has been extended to April 30 for 2024. An Alumni selection committee, appointed by the Alumni Advisory Council, will review applicants and select awardee by June 1.

Apply

Alumni Legacy Scholarship

The Alumni Legacy Scholarship is a one-time non-renewable scholarship and is only applicable for the student’s first year at Western (incoming freshman or new transfer students are eligible).

Do you have a son or daughter looking at college? Have they considered attending Western? As an alumni, your son, daughter and/or grandchildren are eligible for certain benefits distributed through this scholarship, as follows:

  • This is a one-time scholarship of $1,000.
  • Nominee must be an incoming first-year student or new transfer.
  • The cost of orientation is reduced by half (a $45 value).
  • GPA must be 2.5 or above (high school or college of transfer).

The applicant must fill out the application form found below. Application forms are accepted year-round. If the applicant meets the GPA guidelines, the scholarship will be awarded.

Apply

Mountaineer Alumni Recommendation Scholarship

The Mountaineer Alumni Recommendation Scholarship is a one-time non-renewable scholarship and is only applicable for the student’s first year at Western. This scholarship is not available to midyear transfers or students beginning in the spring semester.

Are you an alumni or employee of Western and know a prospective (or incoming) student who would be a great fit at Western? A recommendation from alumni and employees can support any new student and provide them a $500 scholarship their first year. (Western employees may not recommend a spouse or dependent receiving tuition benefits).

  • Any Western alumni/employee may nominate only one student per academic year to receive the $500 scholarship (distributed $250 per semester).
  • The scholarship is good for the first year only and is non-renewable.
  • The recommended student must be a full-time undergraduate student, attending Western for the first time.

The applicant must fill out the application form found here. The nominating alumni/employee must fill out the application form and submit the required documents by June 1. The recommended student must meet university admissions acceptance standards and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The Presidential Promise is guaranteed to students who have received a scholarship through the Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) and/or GearUp—and are eligible for a Pell Grant.

For students who meet these criteria, Western will cover the cost of tuition and fees through the combination of federal, state and institutional aid. For more information on the Presidential Promise, visit our scholarships page.

Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) or Central Plains (CP) tuition represents a substantial savings relative to normal, out-of-state tuition. Students eligible for the WUE or CP program will be charged 150% of Western’s total in-state tuition. For 2018-19, total in-state tuition was $8,934. WUE/CP tuition was $13,401. The WUE/CP discount is valued at $4,695.

For more information about the WUE and CP geography-based programs, visit Western’s Tuition Discount Programs Page.

Immediately upon acceptance at Western, every student is considered for a merit scholarship worth between $2,500-$4,500 per year for in-state students and $8,000-$10,000 for out-of-state students. The amount is based on the student’s GPA and ACT/SAT scores. Visit our Net Price Calculator at western.edu/cost to determine whether you qualify for a merit scholarship.

For more information about merit scholarships at Western, visit our scholarships page.

Note: Students enrolled in a Western-CU Boulder Partnership Program (i.e. major) do not qualify for Western Merit Scholarship programs. See the Rady Merit Scholarship section above for scholarship opportunities.

Get Involved

Ethics and Critical Thinking

A college education is so much more than just taking classes. Expand your community and network, while gaining hands-on experience in your field.

  • Bistro Philosophy: A monthly gathering of philosophy students and faculty at a local bistro to discuss concepts taught in classes, then brainstorming and expanding upon them creatively to address “burning questions” that arise through the semester.
  • Philosophy Intersections: A series of discussions and lectures that highlights work among disciplines campus-wide, where students and faculty look at how their fields intersect and interact with Philosophy.

Earn an in-demand skillset

Ethical employees who engage in nuanced reasoning are highly valued in the workplace, making this certificate a perfect complement to any major from art to STEM to business.

News & Research

Western Earns Accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission

Western Earns Accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission

Read More about Western Earns Accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission

Department Chairperson

Tamara Toomey, M.S.

Chair – Communication Arts, Languages and Literature and Lecturer in English

Administrative Assistant

Cindy Petito

Administrative Assistant III

Contact Information

970.943.2025

cpetito@western.edu

Campus Location

Western Colorado University
Taylor Hall 216
1 Western Way
Gunnison, CO 81231

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