Best Philosophy programs in Wisconsin, ranked by enrollment
Teach courses in philosophy, religion, and theology.
22 schools in Wisconsin run programs that feed this job, graduating 346 people a year. The job pays a median of $79,140 in Wisconsin across about 420 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Wisconsin that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
14 programs in Wisconsin that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Wisconsin (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Wisconsin page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 38.0101In Wisconsin → | 121 | 35.0% | 12 | $31,618 | $22,862 |
| 2 | CIP 39.0601In Wisconsin → | 44 | 12.7% | 5 | $32,202 | $25,375 |
| 3 | CIP 39.0602In Wisconsin → | 32 | 9.2% | 3 | $32,202 | $25,375 |
| 4 | CIP 39.0201In Wisconsin → | 31 | 9.0% | 1 | $33,182 | $25,000 |
| 5 | Religion/Religious Studiesmain feeder CIP 38.0201In Wisconsin → | 25 | 7.2% | 8 | $26,048 | $25,612 |
| 6 | CIP 38.0104In Wisconsin → | 24 | 6.9% | 1 | $31,618 | $22,862 |
| 7 | CIP 39.0699In Wisconsin → | 23 | 6.6% | 2 | $32,202 | $25,375 |
| 8 | CIP 38.0103In Wisconsin → | 22 | 6.4% | 5 | $31,618 | $22,862 |
| 9 | CIP 39.0701In Wisconsin → | 12 | 3.5% | 1 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 10 | CIP 39.0604In Wisconsin → | 7 | 2.0% | 2 | $32,202 | $25,375 |
| 11 | CIP 51.3201In Wisconsin → | 2 | 0.6% | 2 | $99,851 | $21,475 |
| 12 | CIP 38.0199In Wisconsin → | 1 | 0.3% | 1 | $31,618 | $22,862 |
| 13 | CIP 39.0301In Wisconsin → | 1 | 0.3% | 1 | $28,103 | $17,318 |
| 14 | CIP 39.0501In Wisconsin → | 1 | 0.3% | 1 | $30,092 | $27,000 |
Top 22 schools in Wisconsin
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 3 of the 22 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · 2 feeder programs | 64 | Philosophy | $35,975 | 90% | — | 45% |
| 2 | Maranatha Baptist University Watertown, WI Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 60 | Bible/Biblical Studies | — | 64% | $25,239 | 72% |
| 3 | Nashotah House Nashotah, WI Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 33 | Theology/Theological Studies | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI Public · 2 feeder programs | 32 | Applied and Professional Ethics | $31,662 | 51% | — | 92% |
| 5 | Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology Franklin, WI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 24 | Theology/Theological Studies | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | Marquette University Milwaukee, WI Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 17 | Philosophy | — | 83% | $25,376 | 81% |
| 7 | Concordia University - Wisconsin Mequon, WI Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 16 | Theology/Theological Studies | — | 68% | $24,409 | 78% |
| 8 | Viterbo University La Crosse, WI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 16 | Theological and Ministerial Studies, Other | — | 68% | $20,655 | 72% |
| 9 | Saint Norbert College De Pere, WI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 15 | Philosophy | — | 71% | $23,319 | 86% |
| 10 | University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI Public · 3 feeder programs | 15 | Philosophy | $34,666 | 49% | — | 91% |
| 11 | University of Wisconsin - Superior Superior, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Ethics | — | 42% | — | 93% |
| 12 | Lawrence University Appleton, WI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 10 | Philosophy | — | 77% | $19,788 | 64% |
| 13 | University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Green Bay, WI Public · 2 feeder programs | 8 | Ethics | — | 48% | — | 89% |
| 14 | Beloit College Beloit, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Philosophy | — | 71% | $21,381 | 63% |
| 15 | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI Public · 2 feeder programs | 4 | Religion/Religious Studies | — | 64% | — | 82% |
| 16 | University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Philosophy | — | 71% | — | 76% |
| 17 | University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI Public · 2 feeder programs | 4 | Philosophy | — | 46% | — | 87% |
| 18 | University of Wisconsin - Parkside Kenosha, WI Public · 2 feeder programs | 2 | Ethics | — | 40% | — | 75% |
| 19 | Carroll University Waukesha, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Philosophy, Other | — | 71% | $22,601 | 67% |
| 20 | Edgewood University Madison, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Religion/Religious Studies | — | 60% | $23,822 | 76% |
| 21 | Medical College of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Bioethics/Medical Ethics | — | — | — | — |
| 22 | Wisconsin Lutheran College Milwaukee, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Religion/Religious Studies | — | 64% | $19,138 | 78% |
All 22 schools in Wisconsin
Every school in Wisconsin with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison | Public | 64 | 2 |
| Maranatha Baptist University | Watertown | Private not-for-profit | 60 | 5 |
| Nashotah House | Nashotah | Private not-for-profit | 33 | 3 |
| University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point | Stevens Point | Public | 32 | 2 |
| Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology | Franklin | Private not-for-profit | 24 | 2 |
| Marquette University | Milwaukee | Private not-for-profit | 17 | 3 |
| Concordia University - Wisconsin | Mequon | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 4 |
| Viterbo University | La Crosse | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 2 |
| Saint Norbert College | De Pere | Private not-for-profit | 15 | 2 |
| University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee | Milwaukee | Public | 15 | 3 |
| University of Wisconsin - Superior | Superior | Public | 13 | 1 |
| Lawrence University | Appleton | Private not-for-profit | 10 | 2 |
| University of Wisconsin - Green Bay | Green Bay | Public | 8 | 2 |
| Beloit College | Beloit | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 1 |
| University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire | Eau Claire | Public | 4 | 2 |
What philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary earn in Wisconsin
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $80,260. Wisconsin pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Wisconsin
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary page.
How to become a Philosophy
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional degree
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Wisconsin
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 25 majors mapped to Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary24 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 30.5101Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
- 38.0001Philosophy and Religious Studies, General
- 38.0101Philosophy
- 38.0103Ethics
- 38.0104Applied and Professional Ethics
- 38.0199Philosophy, Other
- 38.0201Religion/Religious Studies
- 38.0202Buddhist Studies
- 38.0203Christian Studies
- 38.0204Hindu Studies(no graduates reported)
- 38.0207Talmudic Studies
- 38.9999Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other
- 39.0201Bible/Biblical Studies
- 39.0301Missions/Missionary Studies
- 39.0401Religious Education
- 39.0501Religious/Sacred Music
- 39.0502Worship Ministry
- 39.0601Theology/Theological Studies
- 39.0602Divinity/Ministry
- 39.0604Pre-Theology/Pre-Ministerial Studies
- 39.0605Rabbinical Studies
- 39.0699Theological and Ministerial Studies, Other
- 39.0701Pastoral Studies/Counseling
- 39.0703Urban Ministry
- 39.0706Chaplain/Chaplaincy Studies
Common questions
Answers for people weighing philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary programs in Wisconsin.
What degree do you need to become a Philosophy?+
Doctoral or professional degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Philosophy, which awarded 121 degrees in Wisconsin in 2024-25, 35.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Philosophy?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 14 programs to this occupation. The largest are Philosophy, Theological and Ministerial Studies, Bible/Biblical Studies, Religion/Religious Studies, plus 4 more. Together they graduate about 346 people a year in Wisconsin.
How much do philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary earn in Wisconsin?+
The median is $79,140 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 1.4% below the U.S. median of $80,260. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary growing?+
BLS projects a +0.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 2,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Wisconsin?+
22 institutions in Wisconsin reported graduates from at least one of the 14 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Professor, Religion Professor, Assistant Professor, Philosophy Professor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-1126.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card