### SUMMARY

 A degree in Philosophy is a valuable choice and usually a required first step for students wishing to enter a career as a corporate ethics lawyer, a college professor, or a philosophical writer. In fact, nationally, philosophy is fairly common being the 62nd most popular degree. Last academic year alone, there were 8,093 philosophy graduates. In-state tuition for philosophy at private institutions is, on average, 4.6 times more costly than their public fellows.

 With a staggering 816 universities having programs for this degree odds are that any colleges you are looking at will have an option for you. If you're looking to surround yourself with other philosophy majors, consider looking at colleges in California which have the most students admitted to philosophy annually. Zooming out, the top region to pursue philosophy is in the Mid East region with [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york), [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university), and [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania) best representing the region. Interestingly, our pick of the best conference to major in philosophy is the Pacific-12 Conference with [University of Arizona](/colleges/university-of-arizona), [University of California-Berkeley](/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley), and [University of California-Los Angeles](/colleges/university-of-california-los-angeles) representing the conference. On that topic, our belief is that the best school for philosophy is [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology). You might also want to check out our list of the [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges).

 The overall 'best' school might not actually be the 'best' school for you. There can be lots of facets to weigh when selecting school. Things such as campus amenities, transportation services, and food could change your decision of which university to attend. Here at authority.org, we've weighed the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you want to know which philosophy school is home to the best campus, the winner is [Harvard University](/colleges/harvard-university). If you are very interested in which university has the top campus, we have a whole list [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through professor reviews, government databases, student reviews, and more in order to compare every U.S. major in an unbiased and informative way. You can find our well researched list for the schools with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbsphere and from that list, our pick of the school with the best student life for philosophy is [Cornell University](/colleges/cornell-university). Are you curious why? Continue scrolling to learn more about Authority's top choices. Many of our conclusions just might shock you.

 If cost is a significant deciding factor in your decision on where to go to university, you might consider avoiding [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york). [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york)&nbspis the most expensive college for philosophy, at least for out of state students. We do have an entire page for the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspcolleges that could put the expense at [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york)&nbspinto perspective. For more context, you may want to know that philosophy is the 13th most expensive major in America, with an average associated cost of $54,300. To zoom out a little, the most costly state for philosophy in the nation is Vermont with tuition and fees at the main three universities Middlebury College of $55,790, Saint Michael's College of $45,050, and tuition and fees at University of Vermont of $45,050. Even more broadly, the most costly region of the country for philosophy is the New England region which is best demonstrated with [Amherst College](/colleges/amherst-college) with a cost of $57,640, [Tufts University](/colleges/tufts-university) with a cost of $57,324, and [Brown University](/colleges/brown-university) with a cost of $57,112.

 Our cheapest region for philosophy is the Rocky Mountains region which is represented by [Nazarene Bible College](/colleges/nazarene-bible-college) with a cost of $8,880, [Brigham Young University-Provo](/colleges/brigham-young-university-provo) with a cost of $5,790, and [Utah Valley University](/colleges/utah-valley-university) with a cost of $15,872. In better news, the most affordable college for philosophy is [University of California-Santa Barbara](/colleges/university-of-california-santa-barbara). Authority.org's comprehensive list of the most affordable colleges can be explored [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state learners can expect to pay around $10,400 for a degree in philosophy. The price grows substantially to an average of $25,400 for the out-of-state public-school student. As such, you might be interested in our selection for the college representing the best value for philosophy: [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology). Through this link you can find our comprehensive list of the universities we believe to be the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspin general. With that said, this discussion is predicated on being an out-of-state student. A discussion of value changes when in-state tuition is considered, as such, we are using out-of-state tuition as the baseline.

 Earnings for philosophy students differ widely, but within two-years of graduation graduates will often make around $53,200. There is much variation in salary; top positions can bring in up to $111,500. Even straight out of school, the lowest end jobs within the philosophy space earn $25,100, which is an alright wage. The top earning graduates from philosophy graduated from [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology)&nbspand if you are looking for colleges with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), we have that too.

 The overall diversity of philosophy stands pretty high, ranking within the 81st percentile of all majors. The school with the highest composite diversity for philosophy is [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology)&nbspand here you can find our comprehensive list for the schools with the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The financial diversity of the Philosophy major is only in the 21st percentile of all majors. Racial diversity is actually above financial diversity, in the 70th percentile. White undergraduates compose the largest proportion at 54% of students majoring in philosophy. Additionally, 64% of undergrads pursuing a philosophy degree are men.

 The median ranking of philosophy professors is 4.2 stars, a rating which is 5% greater than the median score for every major; which is a good score. If you are curious about the most popular philosophy instructor in the nation, consider looking up Eileen Rabach from [Santa Monica College](/colleges/santa-monica-college). It might surprise you, but the best rated philosophy instructors by student are at [St Petersburg College](/colleges/st-petersburg-college). As we including data other than just rankings it becomes clear that the college with comprehensively the best instructors for philosophy is [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology). One can find more detail on our evolving ranking methodology of the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), as well as some of the best examples of professors in the country.

 Finally, the most difficult university to get into for philosophy is [Stanford University](/colleges/stanford-university). While we are unsure why you would be interested, we do have an extensive page for the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). But, we do hope you understand that looking at higher education with context primarily shaped by superlatives might create problems. We encourage you to read our more nuanced pages on individual colleges and peruse some of Authority's insightful background pages on essential details to look for as your college search develops.



 ### POPULARITY

 Philosophy is the 62nd most popular degree in America, with 8,093 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #63 [Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering](/rankings/best-colleges-for-bioengineering-and-biomedical-engineering), and narrowly lost to #61 [Physics](/rankings/best-colleges-for-physics).

 The degree is offered at a total of 816 colleges across the nation, and is the 23rd most widely offered degree. Given that philosophy is offered at 91% of the Top 100 [Best Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in America, you can be sure this is a critical degree and the skillsets acquired are likely to last for a long time.

 It is also worth noting that 47% of colleges offering philosophy are public making it a pretty accessible field.

 The mid east produces the most philosophy graduates, largely led by [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york), while it’s the Pacific-12 Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, California ranks highest, with particular help from [University of California-Berkeley](/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley) and [University of California-Los Angeles](/colleges/university-of-california-los-angeles).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more philosophy graduates than [Arizona Western College](/colleges/arizona-western-college), which graduated 192 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study philosophy). More students studied philosophy as a percentage of total students at [Nazarene Bible College](/colleges/nazarene-bible-college) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Philosophy is the 13th most expensive degree in the nation, with a median cost of $54,318 for the top 50 programs.

 New England has the most expensive schools with top 50 philosophy programs led by [Amherst College](/colleges/amherst-college) with an annual cost of $57,640. The most expensive state for philosophy is Vermont led by [Middlebury College](/colleges/middlebury-college) and [Saint Michael's College](/colleges/saint-michael-s-college).

 Public schools with good programs typically charge 78.24% less than private schools for in-state students. However, when looking at out-of-state tuition, the median top 50 Public school charges 46.93% less than the median private school. So make sure to take a look at public shools in your state as soon as possible.

 The most high-priced option in the top 25 is [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york), which is the 3rd most expensive college in America. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [University of South Florida-Main Campus](/colleges/university-of-south-florida-main-campus). It costs just $15,473 per year, but it's ranked 93rd for its philosophy program. If you’re looking for the least expensive option in the top 25, [University of California-Santa Barbara](/colleges/university-of-california-santa-barbara)  could be for you, ranked #20 with an in-state cost of just $11,442. Another more affordable choice would be #19, [University of California-Berkeley](/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley) in Alameda County, CA with a cost of $11,442 for in-state students and $41,196 for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 Starting college is a massive investment for most. It is critical to be sure you get a high return on your investment. We aim for the following income and job placement info to aid you in making a well informed decision when selecting your major.

 The average Philosophy major makes a first year income of $31,716 a year (bottom 26%). After a bit more time in their professions, they for the most part bring home anywhere between $25,088 and $111,549, but average more or less $53,168. For context, that is 38% higher than the American average.

 The most common work title for a Philosophy graduate is Customer Service Specialist, which for the most part earn near $23,000; next are Software Engineer and Analyst, which normally make roughly $65,000 and $54,000 respectively.

 The best paid region for Philosophy graduates is The Mid East. The highest grossing state for Philosophy graduates is PA. Ivy League has the most well paid Philosophy graduates of any conference..



### PROFESSORS

 Fast Facts for Philosophy: Median Professor Rating: 4.2 / 5, which is above average.

 Professors repeatedly play a mighty role in your college experience, regardless of your major. An amazing professor can help a student find their passion and set one up for future success. On the other hand, a bad professor can turn you off of a subject or even worse... flunk you!

 Professors of Philosophy have a median student rating of 4.2 / 5, which puts them in the top 29th percentile in the nation based on overall professor quality. For context that's 5% greater than the national median professor rating for all subjects. Philosophy professors barely surpassed those from ["Rhetoric and Composition"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-rhetoric-and-composition), whereas ["Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics and Special Effects"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-animation-interactive-technology-video-graphics-and-special-effects)&nbspprofessors ranked one slot above Philosophy.

 Now for some statistics about Philosophy professors. Colleges located in remote towns tend to have the best Philosophy professors. The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has the highest rated Philosophy professors. The Southwest region has the highest rated Philosophy professors. Public institutions tend to have higher rated Philosophy professors than private colleges. Finally, New Mexico has the highest rated Philosophy professors in the US.

 Eileen Rabach, professor at [Santa Monica College](/colleges/santa-monica-college) &nbspin Santa Monica, CA is the most popular Philosophy professor in the United States.



### STUDENTS

 College can be a very constructive period in one's life; it is an occasion for individual growth and development. Students attempt to discover who they would like to become and learn many of the required skills to become a flourishing member of society. But growth is more than sitting in a classroom environment - the conversations which one has with her schoolmates, the personal lesson learned from an eccentric professor, the exposure to a different frame of reference. Therefore, a diverse student population tremendously enhances what you gain from your time at university.

 Philosophy is a more racially diverse major than average\*. 54% of the nation's Philosophy majors are white students, followed by students of other races\*\*(19%), latino students (13%), and asian students (10%). The most racially diverse college\* in the top 100 is [Swarthmore College](/colleges/swarthmore-college) located in Swarthmore, PA.

 Secondly, Philosophy significatly skews male, with 64% of students majoring in Philosophy identifying as men. [Swarthmore College](/colleges/swarthmore-college) in Swarthmore, PA has the most gender balanced student body in the top 100.

 Another significant type of diversity is class diversity. Unfortunately, Philosophy ranks in the bottom 21% of programs financial diversity. 33% of its students come from families with $110,000 plus annual incomes, 16% are from homes bringing in between $48,000 and $75,000 a year, and 22% grew up in homes that make below $30,000 a year. [University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill](/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill) is the most financially diverse school in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall TN is the most diverse state for Philosophy. The Far West is the most diverse region, and the Pacific-12 Conference is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 10%
* Black: 4%
* Latino: 13%
* White: 54%
* Other: 19%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 64%
* Female: 36%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 22%
* 30k - 48k: 15%
* 48k - 75k: 16%
* 75k - 110k: 14%
* Over 110k: 33%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 57%
* Out of State: 33%
* International: 10%


2023 Philosophy Salary

There are about 24,371 students enrolled in Philosophy in the USA.

SALARY