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Philosophy

Types of Degrees Philosophy Majors Are Earning

Those studying Philosophy can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	9
Associate’s Degree	411
Bachelor’s Degree	7,103
Master’s Degree	1,010
Doctor’s Degree	440

What Philosophy Majors Need to Know

Programs in Philosophy emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Philosophy graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Philosophy emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Philosophy and Theology — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Philosophy program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Philosophy careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Philosophy graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Philosophy professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Philosophy graduates include:

• Assistant Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Instructor
• Associate Professor
• College Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Adjunct Professor
• Theology Teacher
• Philosophy Adjunct Professor
• Online Philosophy Instructor
• Western Philosophy Professor
• Church History Teacher
• Adjunct Philosophy Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Philosophy graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	62.1%
Master’s degree	13.7%
Post-doctoral training	11.4%
Bachelor’s degree	8.4%
Postsecondary certificate	1.2%
Some college courses	0.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.7%
Post-master’s certificate	0.6%
First professional degree	0.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Philosophy?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 42.9% women and 57.1% men among Philosophy graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3,851	42.9%
Men	5,122	57.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Philosophy graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	4,843	54.0%
Asian	662	7.4%
Hispanic or Latino	1,448	16.1%
Black or African American	484	5.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	21	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	5	0.1%
Two or More Races	459	5.1%
Race Unknown	284	3.2%
International Students	767	8.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Philosophy Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Philosophy graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$35,242
4 years	$46,522
5 years	$56,339

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,339 — roughly 60% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Philosophy Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Philosophy. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	16	14
Bachelor’s	22	15
Master’s	6	4
Doctoral (Research)	4	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Philosophy Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Philosophy graduates earn a median of $46,522 four years after completion — roughly 22% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Philosophy and Religious Studies	38
Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other	38.99
PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES	38.00
Religion/Religious Studies	38.02

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.