Guide to College Majors in Philosophy
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What is Philosophy?
A philosophy degree focuses on the "nature of being," knowledge, and contemplating right and wrong in moral issues. It trains you to become disciplined and imaginative, and you'll learn how to reason through both profound and mundane questions. You'll practice forming an argument for debate. The principles of philosophy affect many other fields of study, such as physics and religion. Every religious belief and field of science is subject matter for philosophical inquiry.
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Good skills for a philosophy degree are attention to detail, a tendency to think way outside of the box, puzzle solving, debating, critical thinking and reading, and well-organized thought patterns. Independent students may wish to take online college classes in philosophy, so as to reason and write at their own pace.
Employers appreciate the finely tuned analytical skills of a philosophy major. This credential transfers well to many professions. With a philosophy degree at any level, you have proven yourself to be flexible and able to grow. Some of the more common career areas include business, journalism, computer science, public administration, healthcare, education, communication, and public relations. Philosophy degrees are often combined with other fields, and in order to teach at a college or university you will generally need a PhD.
Degree Programs in Philosophy
Studying Philosophy Online and On-Campus
A college degree in philosophy can focus on the traditional "continental" philosophy, in which you study the history of Greek and European philosophers, or on analytical philosophy, which deals more with mathematics, logic, and theoretical physics.
Along the way, business majors pick up skills that allow them to flourish either as general business professionals or as specialists. By studying accounting, finance, economics, and other fundamentals of the business world, students can learn to make consistent, accurate decisions that can serve customers, reward investors, and shape society.
In addition, business majors take many courses outside the school of business. This broad exposure to other areas allows students to shape their career paths by gaining deep experi
ence in a particular industry, like science or technology. Many colleges and universities also provide business majors with instruction in ethics, culture, and history, in order to help them place their business decisions in the broadest possible context.
Master's Degrees & PhDs in Philosophy
Pursuing a philosophy degree at the master's and doctorate level can help you specialize in a particular approach. Some examples of these include: ancient philosophers, German philosophers, far eastern philosophy, modern social philosophy, ethics, phenomenology and existentialism, medical ethics, and political philosophy. Your research, dissertation, or thesis can be in philosophy of mind, esthetics, philosophy of science, ethics, logic and cognitive science, morals, philosophy of language, continental, American, critical thinking, epistemology, and metaphysics.
What can you do with a College Degree in Philosophy?
Career options for philosophy majors
Looking for a job as a "philosopher" in the truest sense of the word can be frustrating, since the only listings you'll find are generally in academic positions at colleges and universities. However, your highly developed analytical and critical thinking and writing skills should be in high demand in a variety of industries. Many career postings ask for candidates with a liberal arts or humanities degree. In this case, a philosophy degree is advantageous because of the abstract reasoning and research background it provides. You might be suited for a career in:
- Business. The ability to look at old problems and processes in new ways is invaluable in the business world.
- Writing/Editing. There's always a shortage of people who are good at expressing themselves on paper (or online). Careers in journalism, marketing and advertising are excellent for good communicators.
- Public service. Both politicians and career public servants benefit from the ability to identify, define and solve an astonishing variety of problems.
- Law. Lawyers are really nothing more than philosophers trained in specifics of a country's legal system. Law students are famously subjected to a distinctly philosophical form of on-the-spot classroom quizzes known as the Socratic method.
- Foreign service & diplomacy. The philosophical ability to discover unconscious assumptions and work around them is particularly important when working with people of different cultures.
Certification and Licensure
There is currently no universal form of certification for a philosophy degree holder, since the career choices tend to be so broad. There are, however, a large selection of professional and academic associations that an individual can join to receive current article submission, debates, and discussions with peers. The American Philosophical Practitioners Association, for example, offers certified memberships to experienced philosophical practitioners--group facilitators, client counselors, or orga
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