Students
The Philosophy Major
How will I focus my studies if I major in philosophy?
The Department of Philosophy offers a variety of courses, allowing students to build their schedules around their intellectual and career interests. You can find the degree requirements for philosophy majors here, and a full list of the courses we offer here.
Students interested in attending law school may be interested in the Pre-Law Area of Emphasis. Students who study philosophy are well prepared for law school, as many of the skills needed by lawyers are the same skills developed in the study of philosophy. Many of our recent students have used philosophy as a gateway to law school. Recent graduates have gained admission to some of the most prestigious law schools in the country, including Harvard, Yale and UC Berkeley.
Philosophy is an excellent major to pair with another major in a different discipline. Many of our students double-major in political science, psychology, neuroscience, economics, math, business, and education; but philosophy adds a valuable perspective to the study of literally any other discipline. If you're curious about double-majoring, please feel free to reach out to any of our faculty to chat about the possibility!
Why major in philosophy?
If you are a person who wants to live a purposeful and meaningful life, studying philosophy will be valuable, interesting, and deeply enjoyable for you. Beyond the personal satisfaction of engaging in a careful study of life’s big questions, the philosophy major prepares students for employment in fields that demand sophisticated critical thinking skills, clear communication of complex ideas, and the ability to deal effectively with ambiguity. The analytical and communication skills emphasized in philosophy are a valuable asset in many satisfying careers, including law, health care, education, politics, counseling, and business. As you probably know already, philosophy students consistently score exceptionally well on standardized exams such as the LSAT, GRE, and GMAT.Data collected by PayScale.com and shared by the World Economic Forum compared mid-career salaries among graduates from 20 different undergraduate majors. Philosophy came in 5th place, earning the highest rating among all humanities majors, all social science majors, all business majors (except economics), and several STEM majors. PayScale.com also collected data on starting salaries among 50 different majors and philosophy majors ranked #16. These data demonstrate that philosophy offers a great return on investment that is comparable to engineering.