The Value of a Philosophy Degree
WHAT IS THE VALUE OF A PHILOSOPHY DEGREE?
One of the first questions prospective philosophy majors (and sometimes their parents) ask is:
What can you do with a philosophy degree?
The answer: Just about anything you want.
STUDY AND CAREER OPTIONS WITH A PHILOSOPHY DEGREE
Philosophy is concerned with a wide range of issues. Consequently, a philosophy major can be combined very nicely with a concentration in some other area you're interested in. One way to do this is simply to take a set of courses related to this other area. Another way would be to double major, adding a major in the other area to your philosophy major. Alternatively, you could just minor in the other area. (If you do a double major, you do not also have to do a minor.)
Here are some examples of what you can do, many of which can also help to satisfy the general education requirements:
Philosophy and:
* Religion: Phil. of Religion, World Religions, Sociology of Religion, Reformation Europe (in HY).
* Artificial Intelligence: Phil. of Mind, Symbolic Logic, relevant psych courses, e.g., Cognition, Psych. of Learning, relevant computer courses (e.g., Artificial Intelligence). Or you could take a minor or second major in Computer Science or Psychology.
* Literary Criticism: Continental Philosophy, relevant courses in English and Foreign Languages. Or you could take a minor or second major in English or Foreign Languages.
* Law, Politics, & Society (LP&S): There are several relevant philosophy courses (Social Ethics, Phil. of Law, Social-Political Phil.) and lots of possibilities in other departments. For instance: Public Policy, Political Thought, Constitutional Law (all in PSC); Social Problems, Sociology of Law, Urban Sociology (all in SY); Current Global Economic Issues, Economics of Urban Development (both in ECO). Or you could take a minor or second major in Political Science or Economics (either would be particularly good if you're thinking of law school).
* Medicine: Social Ethics, Biomedical Ethics, Health and Culture (AN), Medicine and Society (SY), Health Psychology.
* Social Science: Phil. of the Social and Natural Sciences and courses in the history and/or development of theories in psychology (in PSY), sociology (in SY), anthropology (in AN), and economics (in ECO), maybe combined with a minor or a second major in a social science.
As the results of the post-graduate examinations above show, philosophy is an excellent pre-professional major. In recent years, U.S.A. Philosophy Department graduates have found careers as physicians, attorneys, technical writers, computer science professors, philosophy professors, business managers, environmental studies consultants, English professors, comparative literature professors, and political scientists.
Whether or not professional or graduate school is in your plans, however, there are some things you can do as a philosophy major to help improve your odds of getting a job after graduation, or getting into a good graduate program. These include:
- Extracurricular activities such as writing for the Vanguard, being active in a student organization, or doing volunteer work (check out Volunteer Mobile).
- Internships and jobs, including part-time, summer, and co-op jobs. Internships or co-op jobs might involve working with a lawyer, a clergy man or woman, a religious, non-profit, or educational organization, a social welfare organization such as the Child Advocacy Center, Penelope House, or Catholic Social Services (to name just a few), a hospital, or whatever you can think up. (Here are more possibilities.) If you're interested, see the Chair to work out the details.
- Taking some courses in computers, statistics, economics or even do a minoring in an area which potential employers could easily see the relevance of. But practical considerations aside, people have often found a degree in philosophy worthwhile for its own sake. A liberal arts education is, after all, not an education for a job, but an education for life.