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Your philosophy courses will prepare you for a wide range of careers—in law, business, finance, management, technology, journalism, education, politics, and civil service—by cultivating your abilities to think critically and creatively about complex problems, and to express yourself with confidence and clarity.
Philosophy, B.A.
Through job fairs, the internship database, and internship panels, the Magner Career Center gives students in the philosophy B.A. program access to career opportunities at a wide variety of employers, including:
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The Magner Career Center has a wealth of information on everything you need to get started in your career, help with résumés, an internships database, job fairs, etc.
The Learning Center provides peer tutoring in accordance with national best practices that empower students to cultivate the skills and behaviors of confident, independent, and lifelong learners. With support from the Office of Institutional Research and Data Science and ongoing oversight from the Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, the center designs relevant interventions for need areas to further Brooklyn College’s efforts to stimulate student-driven learning as well as increase retention rates and on-time graduation.
APA: Beyond Academia: Professional Opportunities for Philosophers
Beyond Academia: Professional Opportunities for Philosophers (PDF) was originally published as Careers for Philosophers in 1984 and has been periodically updated and revised over the years.
Beyond Academia is intended to provide guidance in the form of resources, information, and advice to philosophers who are interested in exploring a wide range of professions outside of academia. It includes links to resources for non-academic career opportunities; data on non-academic careers, including new academic placement data and analysis; and biographical essays of philosophers who have successfully found ways to use their philosophical training outside of academia.
It also provides recommendations for maintaining connections with philosophers working outside academia and preparing philosophy students for non-academic students. We encourage department chairs and placement officers to share this resource with their students.
For more information, visit the APA website.
A good place to start for more information on graduate study in philosophy is the American Philosophical Association. In particular, you should read their latest guide. This guide contains a lot of useful information, including information about each program’s placement record, which, as we will stress below, is essential information to consider.
On average, it now takes on six to seven years to finish a Ph.D., although some people can complete their doctorate in five. If you teach a lot while in school, you may need more than seven years.
An M.A. requires less of a commitment with respect to time, but it can be expensive because very few M.A. students receive the kind of funding (such as tuition, health care insurance, and stipends) that good Ph.D. programs tend to provide.
Graduate stipends in philosophy are modest, and they are not always indexed to the local cost of living. If you have children or family, it will be tough to support them with your income. This is especially the case in large urban centers, where the cost of living is much higher than in smaller cities or more rural areas.
The ratio of candidates to jobs advertised typically hovers somewhere between 1.5 and 2. This number includes advertisements for all philosophy jobs, including “contingent” jobs, such as substitute lines, one-year “lecturer” positions, and “teaching fellowships.” If we were to examine the ratio of candidates to advertisements for tenure-track jobs, the number would be even higher. A large percentage of those graduating with a Ph.D. in philosophy do not immediately find tenure-track appointments, but rather spend a few years in a postdoc, or else in temporary, adjunct, or visiting positions. Notice that we mean it when we say “positions.” It is all too typical nowadays for a newly minted doctor of philosophy to move from one one-year position to another. In some cases, they even move from one coast to another. This means that you and your family will need a lot of geographic flexibility. For a more personal and recent assessment of the job market in philosophy, feel free to consult with the Philosophy Department faculty, some of whom have very fresh, and not so old, memories of this process!
Depending on the part of the country that you are in, starting salaries for full-time, entry-level academic jobs in philosophy can be as low as $30,000.
You first need to determine whether you are going for a master’s degree (M.A.) or a doctorate (Ph.D.). If you want to be a professor, you will need a Ph.D. You might consider terminal M.A. programs for the following reasons:
If you are considering an M.A. but intending to ultimately earn a Ph.D. in philosophy, you should consider the following:
For both M.A. and Ph.D. programs, applications are made in the fall for entrance the following fall.
Here are the basic steps to take when preparing an application:
We recommend that you do this very early. The letters of recommendation are one of the most important components of your application. So you need to give your recommenders plenty of advance notice. But in addition to that, we strongly recommend that you consult with your letter writers while you are picking your schools and while you are putting the finishing touches on your writing sample and personal statements.
Most programs require at least three letters. Make every effort to secure good letters from full-time faculty members who know you and your work well. You should have taken at least one class with your chosen professor. Preferably, you have cultivated a longstanding relationship with this professor.
It is hard to overstate the importance of your writing sample. This is your chance to show off your abilities as a philosopher. Your paper should be a revised term paper. (Trying to write a paper from scratch is not recommended.) Ask the professors who are writing your letters of recommendation to help you to choose an appropriate writing sample. Hopefully, they will agree to read a draft of the revised paper.
Again, you should consult with your advisers and letter writers to determine precisely which programs you should apply to.
Some things to look for in a good program:
While the reputation of a program is worth taking into consideration, that program’s placement record should be a crucial factor in your decision-making. Note that the placement record of a program might not correlate with its overall reputation.
As a bit of general advice, you should apply to a range of schools. There is no agreed-upon formula. Let it suffice that we recommend that you apply to a curated selection of schools, consisting of a mix of some top programs in your field of interest and some schools that are further down Leiter’s list.
Most graduate programs will have a website that contains information for applicants. You may even be able to download all required application forms.
Make a checklist for each program that you are applying to. Each list should include what each program requires and due dates. You must submit everything that a program asks for. It is your job to ensure that all parts of your application are in by the deadline, including the letters of recommendation.
Be aware that most programs require a substantial (and nonrefundable) application fee.
Each graduate program will list the exams that they require. Make sure you take all required exams. For most philosophy programs, you will need to take the general GRE. If you are a non-native English speaker, you may also be required to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).
We recommend that you take all required exams near the end of the summer or, at the latest, early in the fall in which you apply.
Many programs ask for a personal statement. This is your opportunity to highlight your preparation for your proposed specialization and to make the case that you are a good “fit” for this program.
Again, you should discuss your Personal Statement with your professors and solicit their feedback. The Personal Statement is a reflection of you and should be thoughtful work that is highly polished. Do not take this part of the application to be an afterthought: These statements are read quite carefully by the faculty in the graduate departments to which you apply.
One comment: Do not worry that your statement is legally or morally binding. That is, if you say to University of X that you chose them because you want to do the metaphysics of modality, you are not thereby committed to writing a dissertation on the metaphysics of modality. The admissions officers know that you may change your mind once you get to their campus. Nevertheless, they do want evidence that you have some direction and focus. Saying that you want to go to graduate school because “you love philosophy” will not suffice. You have to consider the long view about your potential career in professional philosophy and be able to talk about your plans and your sub-disciplinary focus to people who are experts in the field.
Tell your professors where you got in. Visit the campus. Talk to both the program’s professors (especially the ones you think you might work with!) and current graduate students. Try to get a sense of the culture and “atmosphere” of the program. You should ask hard questions, especially about the accessibility of faculty and financial aid. Do not be shy about this. If you have been accepted, it is now the program’s job to go after you.
In some cases, it makes sense to wait for a year or two before applying to schools. (We recommend, however, that you do not wait too long.) If you are not applying now, you should do the following before you graduate:
It is never too early to start thinking about graduate school. Indeed, you will do yourself a huge favor if you start preparing now. Here are some things you should do as juniors, sophomores, and even first years.
For example, some Ph.D. programs in philosophy require that you have taken a minimum number of credits in philosophy or related fields. In addition, they will be looking at the breadth and depth of your undergraduate preparation. Talk to our department’s advisers. Tell them that you are interested in graduate school. Our advisers can help you develop a program of study that will convince graduate programs that you are ready to go after the M.A. or Ph.D. Do not avoid the hard stuff. Fulfilling the requirements for the major is the bare minimum of what you should do.
This entire process takes time. Thus, do not put it off until senior year. Take several classes with a professor. Visit them during office hours. Take an independent study. You want your professors to know you well and to be your enthusiastic advocate. The better they know you, the stronger their letters of recommendation will be.
One point that can never be repeated enough is the importance of working with your professors and instructors. Even though there is plenty of good information to be found online, in each class you will learn from an expert in the field, who can answer your questions or direct you to the best resources available. The value of faculty cannot be overstated. Good connections with your instructors may be a deciding factor in landing your dream job.
