Philosophy

Types of Degrees Philosophy Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many philosophy graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	8,334
Master’s Degree	789
Associate Degree	425
Doctor’s Degree	388
Basic Certificate	63
Graduate Certificate	43
Undergraduate Certificate	12

What Philosophy Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to philosophy were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Philosophy Majors

Philosophy majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills for Philosophy Majors

A major in philosophy prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Philosophy Majors

A major in philosophy will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Philosophy Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with philosophy:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Mathematical Science Professors	9.4%	$73,230
Mathematicians	29.0%	$101,900
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860
Philosophy and Religion Professors	12.3%	$71,890

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 8,334 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 2021, making it rank #61 in popularity. This major tends to be male dominated. About 59% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of philosophy majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	578
Black or African American	505
Hispanic or Latino	1,296
White	4,690
International Students	529
Other Races/Ethnicities	736

Geographic Diversity

Philosophy appeals to people across the globe. About 6.3% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• Canada
• South Korea
• United Kingdom
• Germany

How Much Do Philosophy Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy made a median starting salary of $28,602 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $25,160 (25th percentile) and $33,378 (75th percentile).

Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a philosophy degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $82,420 to $104,870 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to philosophy. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Philosophy

Some careers associated with philosophy require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for philosophy careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Bachelor’s Degree	16.4%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	1.8%
Master’s Degree	29.2%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.1%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.6%
Doctoral Degree	42.6%
Post-Doctoral Training	8.0%

Online Philosophy Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 935 schools offered some type of philosophy program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	5	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	2	0
Associate’s Degree	116	9
Bachelor’s Degree	25	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	183	6
Post-Master’s	8	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	111	2
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Philosophy Worth It?

The median salary for a philosophy grad is $87,140 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 118% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $944,800 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Philosophy

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to philosophy.

Major	Number of Grads
Religious Studies	9,470
Other Philosophy & Religious Studies	285
General Philosophy & Religious Studies	184

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.