Career Options
Careers for Philosophy Majors
- Philosophical Practitioner - Group Facilitator, Counselor, Consultant
- Writer/Editor
- Lawyer
- Politician
- Teacher/Professor
- Pastor/Theologian
- Reporter/Critic
- Doctor
- Marketer
- Researcher
- Lobbyist
- Foreign Service Specialist/Diplomat
- FBI Agent
- Corporate Compliance Officer
Starting Salary*
A philosophy major’s typical starting salary is $38,038. The typical salary after 10-19 years is $76,381.
*Note: Salary information is provided for general reference only. APU does not guarantee the accuracy of the figures listed, and cannot predict or promise a specific salary for any graduate. For the most current salary estimates, please visit www.payscale.com.
Job Titles Held by Former Philosophy Majors
- Assistant Director for Grassroots Campaigns, INC
- Research Coordinator, Department of Preventative and Behavioral Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Business Analyst, Deloitte Consulting
- Director of Development, Silva Project
- Analyst, U.S. Senate
- Administrator, Head Start Centers
- Chief Trial Judge, U.S. Army
- Clerk, United States Court of Appeals Judge David Ebel, 10th Circuit Court of Appeals
- Lawyer, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
- Coastal Ecologist
- Senior Vice President, AC Nielsen Corp
Famous People with Philosophy Degrees
- Harrison Ford (actor)
- John Chancellor (news broadcaster)
- Steve Martin (comedian, writer)
- Gene Siskel (movie critic)
- Mark Hulbert (financial columnist, Forbes magazine)
- Cark Icahn (CEO, TWA Airlines)
- William Bennet (U.S. Secretary of Education, head of the Drug Enforcement Agency)
- Thomas Jefferson (U.S. President)
- Ken Follett (writer)
- Northrop Frye (literary critic)
- Pope John Paul II (religious leader)
- Rudi Giuliani (New York City mayor)
- Stephen Breyer (Supreme Court Justice)
- Philip Glass (composer)
- Bertrand Russell (writer, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature)
- Albert Schweitzer (theologian, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize)
- Madelyn Murray O’Hare (civil rights activist)
- Phil Jackson (NBA coach)
Note: This information is current for the 2009-10 academic year; however, all stated academic information is subject to change. Please refer to the current Academic Catalog for the most current and controlling information. For additional information, please contact the appropriate office.
