Best institutions to study Philosophy
Compare 747 U.S. colleges offering Philosophy by graduate earnings, cost, and outcomes. Federal data across 53 states.
Philosophy programs report a median of $31,583 one year after graduation (College Scorecard, 2024), and map to CIP 38.01 and the Mathematicians occupation (BLS SOC).
About Philosophy programs
The Philosophy program offers a systematic study of fundamental questions related to existence, knowledge, mind, reason, language, and value. It is designed for students interested in engaging in rational and critical inquiry, reflecting on various philosophical methods and assumptions. This program is ideal for those who enjoy deep thinking and exploring complex ideas.
Students in the Philosophy program develop essential skills such as critical thinking, reading comprehension, and effective writing. Coursework often includes specializations in areas like Logic, Ethics, and Applied and Professional Ethics, providing a well-rounded understanding of philosophical concepts and their applications.
Top 50 institutions, ranked by graduate earnings
Earnings = median 1 year after graduation (College Scorecard, predominant credential).
| # | Institution | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Completions | Grad rate | Net price | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $73,053 | 214 | 97% | $22,055 | $18,500 |
| 2 | Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $52,668 | 52 | 96% | $15,315 | $20,062 |
| 3 | Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $47,345 | 58 | 91% | $21,126 | $18,000 |
| 4 | Utah Valley University Orem, UT Public · Bachelor's degree | $43,699 | 17 | 45% | — | $15,636 |
| 5 | CUNY Lehman College Bronx, NY Public · Bachelor's degree | $43,311 | 14 | 51% | — | $18,700 |
| 6 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $42,334 | 13 | 84% | $33,246 | $21,500 |
| 7 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public · Bachelor's degree | $42,072 | 56 | 85% | — | $13,500 |
| 8 | University of Washington - Bothell Campus Bothell, WA Public · Bachelor's degree | $42,072 | 7 | 65% | — | $13,500 |
| 9 | Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $41,032 | 32 | 86% | $33,106 | $20,000 |
| 10 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · Bachelor's degree | $40,881 | 56 | 89% | — | $18,676 |
| 11 | Boston University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $40,377 | 52 | 89% | $21,956 | $25,750 |
| 12 | New York University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $40,359 | 46 | 88% | $29,023 | $24,128 |
| 13 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ Public · Bachelor's degree | $40,286 | 65 | 68% | — | $26,250 |
| 14 | Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ Public · Bachelor's degree | $40,286 | 58 | 0% | — | $26,250 |
| 15 | Rutgers University - Camden Camden, NJ Public · Bachelor's degree | $40,113 | 3 | 67% | — | $25,000 |
| 16 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · Bachelor's degree | $40,113 | 37 | 84% | — | $25,000 |
| 17 | Rutgers University - Newark Newark, NJ Public · Bachelor's degree | $40,113 | 6 | 64% | — | $25,000 |
| 18 | Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH Public · Bachelor's degree | $39,971 | 32 | 88% | — | $26,247 |
| 19 | Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $38,544 | 6 | 83% | $24,453 | $26,000 |
| 20 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $38,380 | 86 | 92% | $26,873 | $11,491 |
| 21 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Public · Bachelor's degree | $37,885 | 42 | 93% | — | $21,510 |
| 22 | University of North Texas Denton, TX Public · Bachelor's degree | $37,231 | 25 | 61% | — | $17,750 |
| 23 | University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA Public · Bachelor's degree | $36,581 | 15 | 49% | — | — |
| 24 | University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · Bachelor's degree | $36,355 | 79 | 93% | — | $14,475 |
| 25 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO Public · Bachelor's degree | $36,307 | 16 | 46% | — | $31,000 |
| 26 | University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · Bachelor's degree | $35,975 | 56 | 90% | — | $24,216 |
| 27 | University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD Public · Bachelor's degree | $35,608 | 74 | 89% | — | $20,164 |
| 28 | Syracuse University Syracuse, NY Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $35,602 | 20 | 84% | $28,851 | $23,250 |
| 29 | University of Central Florida Orlando, FL Public · Bachelor's degree | $35,179 | 27 | 78% | — | $19,875 |
| 30 | University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI Public · Bachelor's degree | $34,666 | 14 | 49% | — | $25,500 |
| 31 | University of Arizona Tucson, AZ Public · Bachelor's degree | $34,289 | 33 | 68% | — | $21,250 |
| 32 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Public · Bachelor's degree | $34,284 | 37 | 91% | — | $15,408 |
| 33 | CUNY City College New York, NY Public · Bachelor's degree | $33,339 | 9 | 57% | — | — |
| 34 | University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · Bachelor's degree | $32,749 | 61 | 86% | — | $13,200 |
| 35 | University of Scranton Scranton, PA Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $32,513 | 2 | 80% | $25,834 | $27,000 |
| 36 | University of Colorado Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO Public · Bachelor's degree | $32,480 | 24 | 47% | — | $28,495 |
| 37 | Franciscan University of Steubenville Steubenville, OH Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $32,165 | 42 | 75% | $21,122 | $25,000 |
| 38 | University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI Public · Bachelor's degree | $31,662 | 32 | 51% | — | $23,380 |
| 39 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Public · Bachelor's degree | $31,652 | 29 | 85% | — | $21,500 |
| 40 | Florida International University Miami, FL Public · Bachelor's degree | $31,583 | 18 | 74% | — | $13,134 |
| 41 | University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC Public · Bachelor's degree | $30,936 | 10 | 79% | — | $25,000 |
| 42 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY Public · Bachelor's degree | $30,851 | 5 | 56% | — | — |
| 43 | University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Public · Bachelor's degree | $30,285 | 46 | 75% | — | $15,832 |
| 44 | University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · Bachelor's degree | $30,182 | 121 | 93% | — | $15,000 |
| 45 | California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · Bachelor's degree | $30,171 | 19 | 70% | — | — |
| 46 | Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · Bachelor's degree | $30,058 | 30 | 84% | — | $19,000 |
| 47 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · Bachelor's degree | $29,712 | 35 | 76% | — | $27,000 |
| 48 | California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA Public · Bachelor's degree | $29,326 | 20 | 56% | — | $15,034 |
| 49 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC Public · Bachelor's degree | $29,251 | 16 | 69% | — | $25,000 |
| 50 | Temple University Philadelphia, PA Public · Bachelor's degree | $28,648 | 21 | 75% | — | $25,000 |
Offered across 53 states & territories
The same program, compared state by state. Pick a state for in-state earnings and institutions.
Careers & outlook
The payoff after graduation: occupation 15-2021, Mathematicians, and its national outlook.
Graduates of the Philosophy program may pursue various careers, although the field is projected to experience little or no change, with an annual opening of about 100 positions. The typical education required is a Master's degree, and the median wage for related occupations is approximately $121,680.
Top-paying metros
Related careers
CIP-to-SOC crosswalk for Philosophy
The SOC occupations NCES officially maps to CIP 38.01.
Under the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, CIP 38.01 (Philosophy) maps to 4 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) occupations, the jobs the U.S. Department of Labor links to this field of study.
| SOC code | Occupation |
|---|---|
| 11-9121 | Natural Sciences Managers |
| 15-2021 | Mathematiciansprimary |
| 25-1022 | Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary |
| 25-1126 | Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk.
Skills & knowledge in Philosophy programs
From the U.S. Dept. of Labor for the occupation this program most leads to.
Skills you'll build
Knowledge areas
What graduates do on the job
- Mentor others on mathematical techniques.
- Maintain knowledge in the field by reading professional journals, talking with other mathematicians, and attending professional conferences.
- Develop new principles and new relationships between existing mathematical principles to advance mathematical science.
- Disseminate research by writing reports, publishing papers, or presenting at professional conferences.
- Assemble sets of assumptions, and explore the consequences of each set.
- Perform computations and apply methods of numerical analysis to data.
Concentrations within Philosophy
Specializations under this field (NCES CIP 2020).
- PhilosophyCIP 38.0101
A program that focuses on ideas and their logical structure, including arguments and investigations about abstract and real phenomena
- LogicCIP 38.0102
A program that focuses on the systematic study of valid inference, argument, and sound reasoning
- EthicsCIP 38.0103
A program that focuses on the systematic study of the theory of moral good and its application to various theoretical and practical problems
- Applied and Professional EthicsCIP 38.0104
A program that focuses on the systematic study of ethical issues in the workplace and public life, and the application of ethical decision-making to the practical problems of society and the professio
- Philosophy, OtherCIP 38.0199
Any instructional program in Philosophy not listed above.
Common questions
What is the focus of the Philosophy program?+
The Philosophy program focuses on fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, and values.
What skills will I develop in this program?+
You will develop critical thinking, reading comprehension, writing, and active listening skills.
What are the career prospects for Philosophy graduates?+
The career outlook shows little or no change, with about 100 annual openings.
What level of education is typically required?+
A Master's degree is typically required for careers related to Philosophy.
How much do Philosophy graduates earn?+
Philosophy graduates report median earnings of $31,583 one year after graduation, per College Scorecard (2024); the Mathematicians occupation pays about $129,260 on average nationally (BLS OEWS May 2025).
What is the CIP code for Philosophy?+
Philosophy maps to CIP 38.01 in the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP), the U.S. Department of Education taxonomy used for College Scorecard Field of Study earnings and IPEDS completions.
About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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