What Can Philosophy Do for You?

Philosophy is a classic liberal arts major that is known for being both challenging and fascinating. It is good to study what you love, since it leads to a happier life. It turns out philosophy is good for careers as well as for minds and happiness. Students graduate with a broad range of knowledge and skills that are applicable in every profession, making philosophy one of the most flexible undergraduate programs.

Financially

Careers for Philosophy Majors?

As universities are ever increasingly seen as vocation schools, the natural question for the philosophy major is, “What type of job can I get with this degree?” Good news! Philosophy opens doors to many interesting and profitable careers beyond academia, such as AI research and international relations.

Do Philosophy Majors Make any Money?

Philosophers are the highest paid out of all the humanities majors, making a median mid-career income of $84,000.00 annually. That’s higher than both accounting and business!

Be Employable: Study Philosophy

Philosophy teaches you how to think clearly, analytically and logically, abilities which can be applied to any line of work. These skills are highly transferable and desirable. In a market marked by high turnover, skills applicable to a wide range of professions is a must.

The Power of the Liberal Arts Major

If you’re getting a liberal arts degree, you’re actually in more demand than those who are getting finance and accounting degrees.

Measurable Results

Multiple sources document that philosophy majors have:

  • The highest GRE verbal reasoning, analytical and quantitative scores of any major
  • The second highest LSAT score of any major (law school entrance exam)
  • Higher scores than any business major on the GMAT (graduate business entrance exam)
  • Higher scores on the MCAT than biology majors

Why Some M.B.A.s are Reading Philosophy

Courses like “Why Capitalism?” push students to ponder business in a broader context, and address a common complaint of employers, who say recent graduates are trained to solve single problems but miss the big picture.

Big Questions

You’ve undoubtedly questioned the existence of God, the nature of reality, the grounding for morality and what makes something beautiful. In philosophy you can attempt to answer these questions through creative thinking and logical analysis.

Here are some famous questions with links to philosophers attempting to answer them:

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