Are philosophy majors employable?
Asked by: Joan Kihn | Last update: December 28, 2025Score: 4.7/5 (72 votes)
Employability and earning Philosophy provides transferrable skills that spell success in any career, and as a result, philosophy majors find work in a diverse range of fields.
How employable is a philosophy degree?
Philosophy graduates are highly regarded across the public, private and charity sectors. The discipline's focus on analysing difficult problems, developing creative solutions and explaining these clearly is well recognised as developing widely transferable skills.
Are philosophy majors in demand?
A degree in philosophy is highly marketable, and that trend is only going up. Across the various fields, demand for philosophers has increased. In business, for example, 76% more philosophy graduates worked in business in 2005-2006 than in 2002.
Is it hard to find a job with a philosophy degree?
To put it bluntly, the job market in philosophy is tough, and even well-qualified candidates fail to find adequate employment. You will save yourself a lot of angst during your travails on the job market if you keep in mind that there is life outside of the coveted tenure track job.
What is the unemployment rate for philosophy majors?
Immediately after graduation, philosophy majors have a: 4.3% unemployment rate. 53.6% underemployment rate.
Is a Philosophy Degree Worth It?
Where do most philosophy majors end up?
Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy
These highly critical, analytical, and argumentative skills that are developed often lead students to pursue legal studies, MBA programs, or seminaries. Jobs for philosophy majors include a lawyer, systems analyst, cultural affairs officer, technical writer, and a critic.
What is the dropout rate for philosophy?
Our preliminary analysis of this data indicates an average attrition rate from these programs of 27.2%." They define attrition as completing your PhD and staying in academia in terms of completing your PhD, not staying in academia , so that means that, of everyone who begins a philosophy PhD, only about 1 in 4 (. 38x.
Is philosophy a wasted degree?
They claim the major is useless, since there are no jobs for philosophers aside from teaching philosophy. But the premise of this critique couldn't be further from the truth. In reality, philosophy graduates are among the most flexible and critical thinkers in the workforce.
Is philosophy a competitive major?
Competition for admission to graduate school in philosophy is extremely high in the best departments. Majors should plan ahead and discuss their plans with their advisor.
Can you make a living with a philosophy degree?
Katz explains that philosophy majors develop valuable skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication, which can be applied to a wide range of jobs. He gives examples of philosophy graduates who have found success in fields such as law, journalism, tech, and business.
Is philosophy an impressive major?
Philosophy majors tend to be well-rounded individuals able to converse and reason about a wide range of topics. These attributes can give philosophers an edge in the job market and in gaining admission to professional programs in fields like medicine, business and law.
What is the IQ of a philosophy major?
Physics, math, philosophy majors have highest IQs (129 to 133). Ed majors average 110.
Are philosophy departments shrinking?
Many philosophy departments and programs have been targeted for cuts or elimination over the past several years, and many currently are undergoing reviews by administrators looking to make budget cuts or other changes that may end up negatively affecting philosophy departments.
Does a philosophy major pay well?
Earning Potential: The median annual wage for careers in philosophy is $77,610, which is significantly higher than the national average. This demonstrates the financial viability of a philosophy degree.
How hard is it to become a philosophy professor?
A common timeline for a successful philosopher is: 5-7 years in a PhD, 2-3 years in postdocs or other short-term positions, and 5-9 years in a tenure-track position before gaining tenure. Usually, these positions are at different universities, often in different parts of the world.
What degree pairs well with philosophy?
Some popular majors recently paired with Philosophy include Psychology, History, Theater, Political Science, Microbiology, and Economics.
Are philosophy majors smart?
Philosophy majors enjoy some of the highest scores on graduate-level exams (for example, GRE, LSAT, GMAT, and MCAT).
How do philosophers make money?
Most philosophers make their livings as college professors (see Professor), but there aren't many full-time teaching positions in philosophy, and philosophers do not have outside employment opportunities the way engineers or economists do.
Is philosophy a dead field?
Not at all! Philosophy is not going anywhere – of that we can be sure. It may face threats, even severe ones, to its current form of existence in the university setting: budgets may be cut, departments may close, but this hardly constitutes a death sentence for it.
What percent of philosophy majors are unemployed?
9.1 percent of recent college graduates who majored in philosophy were also unemployed.
Is philosophy on the decline?
The decline of philosophy departments in the U.S. is not just a loss for academia but for society as a whole. It signals a shift towards a utilitarian view of education that values immediate economic benefits over the cultivation of a well-rounded, thoughtful citizenry.
What major has the highest dropout rate?
Computer science majors have the highest dropout rate at 10.7%. Nearly one-third of dropouts are due to personal or family issues. California has the highest dropout rate, with 6.61 million students in 2023.
Are philosophy professors in demand?
Demand for Philosophy and Religion Teachers is expected to go up, with an expected 10,000 new jobs filled by 2029.
How popular are philosophy degrees?
Although there aren't a lot of jobs around for professional philosophers, philosophy degrees are an increasingly popular option, with more than 2,300 students graduating in a philosophy-related subject in 2012.