Where do most philosophy majors end up?

Asked by: Kasey Parker  |  Last update: October 12, 2023
Score: 5/5 (27 votes)

Students who majored in philosophy are well prepared for the job market in a surprisingly broad range of professional disciplines, including:
  • the legal profession.
  • business management.
  • information technology.
  • government service.
  • public policy analysis and development.
  • teaching at the primary, secondary and university levels.

Where do philosophy majors end up?

Philosophy graduates can pursue careers in areas such as education, business, law, and government. Some of these paths require further education.

What percentage of college graduates are philosophy majors?

The percentage of Bachelor's degree recipients completing a major in Philosophy fell from 0.48% in 2001 to 0.40% in 2019. The percentage completing in English fell from 4.5% in 2001 to 2.1% in 2019; in History, from 2.2% to 1.3%; and in foreign languages, from 2.2% to 1.1%.

Is philosophy a respected 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 highest paying job with a philosophy degree?

Now let's look at the best jobs for philosophy majors that have lifelong career potential with high incomes.
  • Marketing Manager. Average salary: $141,490. ...
  • Lawyer. Average salary: $126,930. ...
  • Sales Manager. Average salary: $132,290. ...
  • Political Scientist. ...
  • Human Resources Manager. ...
  • Economist. ...
  • School Principal. ...
  • College Professor.

Is a Philosophy Degree Worth It?

42 related questions found

Is it hard to find a job with a philosophy degree?

Earning a philosophy degree can open up endless career opportunities in almost every field. Positions in education, law, and the clergy are common for philosophy degree holders, but graduates who enter the fields of health care, business, marketing, and even financial services are not unusual.

Are philosophy majors employable?

Students who majored in philosophy are well prepared for the job market in a surprisingly broad range of professional disciplines, including: the legal profession. business management. information technology.

How smart are philosophy majors?

Philosophy majors enjoy some of the highest scores on graduate-level exams (for example, GRE, LSAT, GMAT, and MCAT). In addition, if you include high school students who say they plan to study philosophy, they also do extremely well on the SATs and ACTs.

Is it worth taking philosophy in college?

Graduate Study

The philosophy major is also exceptional training for many other post-graduate paths, such as law school. In fact, statistics indicate that philosophy majors perform very well on standardized tests for post-graduate and professional study.

How popular are philosophy degrees?

Overall, 0.5% of bachelor's degree recipients major in philosophy. Notes: 1. All numbers include students with philosophy as either their first or their second major.

What is the unemployment rate for philosophy majors?

Its figures show that, in 2001, 9.9 percent of philosophy graduates were unemployed six months after graduation. In 2006, just 6.7 percent were (Academy of Arts and Sciences). By 2015, this figure dropped to only 5 percent.

What majors pair well with philosophy?

Majors in Mathematics, Computer Science, Psychology, Economics, Political Science, English, Modern Languages, Criminal Justice, and the natural sciences can usefully combine their studies with a double major in philosophy. These majors need just 33 credits in philosophy to earn a double major.

What do most philosophy majors do after college?

Philosophy majors are commonly found working in health care environments in areas such as hospital policy, administration, communication, or budgeting. The average annual salary for a health care professional with a philosophy degree is approximately $73,305.

What do philosophers do for a living?

Philosophy graduates are found working for almost every type of employer in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Opportunities are available in areas like publishing, the media, journalism, advertising and teaching, through to computing and IT.

What subject is closest to philosophy?

Similar subjects to Philosophy
  • Anthropology.
  • Classics.
  • Economics.
  • History.
  • Law.
  • Politics.
  • Psychology.
  • Social Policy.

Do philosophy majors read a lot?

Philosophy students do a lot of reading. And most philosophy books are quite thick. But that doesn't mean you will read entire piles of books in a single semester. You will actually do a lot of selective reading on key concepts.

What are 3 benefits of studying philosophy?

The study of philosophy helps us to enhance our ability to solve problems, our communication skills, our persuasive powers, and our writing skills. Below is a description of how philosophy helps us develop these various important skills.

Are philosophy majors happy?

How satisfied are philosophy students compared to other degrees? Overall, philosophy students rate their satisfaction with their degree a 3.8 out of 5. This is high compared to other degrees which average a rating of 3.28 across all degrees.

What is the average IQ of a philosophy major?

As you might expect, the celebrity examples tend to be higher than the average, so that while philosophy majors come in at an average IQ of 129, famous philosophy major Steve Martin is listed as having an IQ of 142.

Why do philosophers have high IQ?

Philosophy is probably the single academic discipline that requires the most intellectual flexibility, ability to grasp difficult strains of thoughts, and openmindedness towards unusual ideas. This makes philosophy far more cognitively demanding than even mathematics and physics.

What is the highest degree in philosophy?

A PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) is a doctoral research degree and the highest level of academic qualification you can achieve. A PhD degree normally takes between three and four years of full-time work to complete.

Are philosophers 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.

Does a philosophy major pay well?

What is the average philosophy major salary in the US? As a philosophy major graduate in the USA, you can expect to earn on average $62,678 per year or $30.13 per hour. The top 10 percent make over $127,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent make under $30,000 per year.

Can a philosophy major become a psychologist?

Requirements: Psychologists must earn a master's or doctorate in psychology after receiving a bachelor's in a related field, such as philosophy.