PHILOSOPHY

Admission reality

Cherrypicker does not estimate anyone’s chance of admission, and never will. Historical outcomes are context, not a prediction.

Planning reality

Counts over the courses ASSIST maps for this pathway. Every figure is a plain count with one definition — there is no score or ranking here.

• 15Mapped preparation courses
• 9Scheduled Fall 2026
• 5With open seats reported
• 58Current sections

Sections offered at Foothill College this term for the courses listed in this agreement. Open one to see instructors, meeting times and CRNs.

Not scheduled at Foothill College this term: PHIL 7, PHIL 2, ENGL C1000H, ENGL C1001H, PHIL 11, PHIL 20B. A course can still be part of the requirement and offered in a later quarter.

Enrollment availability changes frequently. Confirm status in the official FHDA registration system before enrolling.

Where this path usually starts

Ranked by how central each course is to the agreement — whether it is the only option for a requirement, how many requirements it covers, and whether it is running now. This is Cherrypicker’s ordering of published requirements, not advice about your situation, and it does not know your transcript.

1. PHIL 1Critical Thinking & WritingFull
   • The only course ASSIST lists for one of this major's requirements.
   • Counts toward 2 separate requirements.
   • No open seats reported this term.
2. PHIL 7Introduction to Symbolic LogicNot currently offered
   • The only course ASSIST lists for one of this major's requirements.
   • Not scheduled this term — plan it for a later quarter.
3. ENGL 1BComposition, Critical Reading & Thinking Through LiteratureOpen
   • Listed as preparation for this major.
   • 67 seats reported this term.
4. ENGL 1BHHonors Composition, Critical Reading, & Thinking Through LiteratureOpen
   • Listed as preparation for this major.
   • 21 seats reported this term.
5. ESLL 26Advanced Composition & ReadingOpen
   • Listed as preparation for this major.
   • 3 seats reported this term.
6. PHIL 4Introduction to PhilosophyOpen
   • Listed as preparation for this major.
   • 14 seats reported this term.

Things to watch

Derived from this agreement and the current class data — not generic advice.

Major preparation

Left: what UC Merced requires. Right: the Foothill College course or courses ASSIST accepts for it. Alternatives are labelled or; courses joined by + are all required together.

• PHIL 004Recommended

  Critical Reasoning

  • PHIL 1

    Critical Thinking & Writing

• PHIL 005Recommended

  Introduction to Logic

  • PHIL 7

    Introduction to Symbolic Logic

• PHIL 002Recommended

  Introduction to Ethics

  • PHIL 2

    Introduction to Social & Political Philosophy

  • or
    PHIL 8

    Ethics

• WRI 001

  Academic Writing

  • ENGL C1000

    Academic Reading and Writing

  • or
    ENGL C1000H

    Academic Reading and Writing - Honors

  • or
    ESLL 26

    Advanced Composition & Reading

• WRI 010

  College Reading and Composition

  • ENGL 1B

    Composition, Critical Reading & Thinking Through Literature

  • or
    ENGL 1BH

    Honors Composition, Critical Reading, & Thinking Through Literature

  • or
    ENGL C1001

    Critical Thinking and Writing

  • or
    ENGL C1001H

    Critical Thinking and Writing - Honors

  • or
    PHIL 1

    Critical Thinking & Writing

• PHIL 001Recommended

  Introduction to Philosophy

  • PHIL 4

    Introduction to Philosophy

  • or
    PHIL 11

    Introduction to the Philosophy of Art & Aesthetics

  • or
    PHIL 20A

    History of Western Philosophy from Socrates Through St. Thomas

  • or
    PHIL 20B

    History of Western Philosophy from the Rennissance Through Kant

Agreement year 2025-26, captured from ASSIST. Verify against the official agreement and confirm with a counselor before making transfer decisions.

The other FHDA college

De Anza College has its own ASSIST agreement for this major. It is a separate agreement with its own courses and its own source — not an extension of the Foothill College one, and the two are never combined on this page.

Whether a course taken at one college satisfies the other college’s requirements is a separate question from articulation. Confirm with a counselor before relying on it.

Other UC Merced majors from Foothill

• SOCIOLOGY, Race and Racial Justice EmphasisFoothill → UC Merced
• ACCOUNTING, B.S. (*Updated* - Transfer Starting Spring 2027)Foothill → UC Merced
• AEROSPACE ENGINEERINGFoothill → UC Merced
• ANTHROPOLOGYFoothill → UC Merced
• APPLIED MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES, Computational Biology EmphasisFoothill → UC Merced
• APPLIED MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES, Computational and Data Sciences EmphasisFoothill → UC Merced
• APPLIED MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES, Computer Science EmphasisFoothill → UC Merced
• APPLIED MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES, Economics EmphasisFoothill → UC Merced

Common questions