“The time of human life is but a point, and the substance is a flux, and its perceptions dull, and the composition of the body corruptible, and the soul a whirl, and fortune inscrutable, and fame a senseless thing. . . . What then is there which can guide a man? One thing and only one, philosophy.”
– Marcus Aurelius
Teaching
Consulting
Counseling
Law
Ministry
Other Non-Academic Career Possibilities
Famous Philosophy Majors
Once you have studied philosophy, the kind of job you seek will be determined by what you have learned and come to love in those studies. Individuals with undergraduate and graduate degrees in philosophy are employed in a variety of academic and non-academic career areas.
Teaching
Higher Education. Some students who study philosophy do so with the goal of teaching the subject at the college level. This path requires at least a master’s degree, usually a doctorate. If this is your aspiration you will find that our program will help set you in the right direction.
Secondary and Elementary Education. Over the past 30 years there has been growing interest in philosophy for children, with an aim to implement the teaching of philosophy into all schools and at every age level. Through the activities of the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC) at Montclair State University in New Jersey, and the International Council of Philosophical Inquiry with Children (ICPIC), with a membership of over sixty nations, an international curriculum now spans from early childhood education through high school. Combining philosophy with a degree in education would prepare you for this exciting field of work.
Consulting
There are hundreds of organizations, centers, and institutes across the country devoted to applied philosophy, professional ethics, and public policy. Here individuals with a background in philosophy are employed as consultants to conduct research, organize workshops, and prepare materials for publication.
Philosophers are being hired as advisers and ethics consultants in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, government agencies, prisons, police academies and private industry.
Counseling
Another venue for bringing philosophy to the streets is the relatively new profession of philosophical counseling. By drawing on the ideas and methods of the great thinkers throughout history, philosophical counselors offer clients new ways to look at their problems and personal situations. Counselors typically charge $50 or more an hour for their service. One of the leading proponents of this emerging field is Dr. Lou Marinoff, author of the book Plato, Not Prozac!
The American Philosophical Practitioners Association is a national association that trains and certifies philosophical practitioners across the spectrum of client counseling, group facilitation, and organizational consulting.
Law
The analytical, logical and critical skills developed through studying philosophy are uniquely appropriate if you are considering a career in law. Combining a law and liberal arts degree with a major or minor in philosophy will prepare you for law school and unique employment opportunities. One national study showed that philosophy majors taking the LSAT exam (for admission to law school) received higher scores than students in nearly every other academic area, including political science.
Ministry
If you envision religious ministry as your life’s vocation, a philosophy degree can provide an excellent steppingstone for entry into theological seminary. Philosophy and theology historically have been closely aligned, with some of the most famous philosophers being religious figures (such as St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, and others). That tradition continues today, with many colleges having joint philosophy and religious studies departments.
Religion by its very nature addresses questions about life and reality: What is real? Where did we come from? Is there any ultimate meaning or purpose in life? What constitutes a good life? You will find that these types of metaphysical questions and concerns are addressed directly or indirectly in nearly all of our philosophy courses.
Combining philosophy with a major or minor in religious studies is a natural avenue to further enhance your educational groundwork in preparation for seminary.
Other Non-Academic Career Possibilities
People educated in philosophy bring an abundance of knowledge and skills to the marketplace that employers are looking for. They can do research, summarize complicated materials in understandable terms, communicate well both orally and in writing, solve problems, persuade people to take novel options seriously, analyze and integrate diverse types of information as well as teach others what they have learned.
In short, given the interdisciplinary and wide-ranging scope of its intellectual domain, training in philosophy provides the type of liberal education that is highly useful in virtually any occupation, including higher-level non-academic positions. Here is a representative sample of non-academic positions held by philosophy graduates:
- Business manager
- Advertising executive
- Computer systems analyst
- University admissions officer
- College provost
- Bank officer
- Investment broker
- Armed forces intelligence officer
- Government policy analyst
- Human services director
- Insurance salesman
- Magazine editor
- Criminal justice program director
- Hospital administrator
- Publishing house copy editor
- Technical writer
Famous Philosophy Majors –
Here is a brief list of notable philosophy graduates who made their mark in fields not often associated with philosophy:
- William Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of Education
- Mary Higgins Clark, author
- Philip Glass, composer
- Rudi Giuliani, former mayor of New York City
- Phil Jackson, former NBA coach (Chicago Bulls, LA Lakers)
- Thomas Jefferson, former President of the United States
- Bruce Lee, martial arts specialist and actor
- Iris Murdoch, novelist
- Stone Phillips, news broadcaster
- George Soros, financier and money manager
- Steve Thomas, host for TV show, This Old House
- Alex Trebek, host for TV show, Jeopardy
- Albert Schwietzer, Nobel Peace Prize winner
