Careers in Philosophy

But can I make money with a degree in philosophy?

The idea that philosophy majors can't make money is a myth. A salary survey conducted by PayScale, and reported by the Wall Street Journal, found that, on average, philosophy majors more than double their salaries over their first ten years in the work force. Indeed, philosophy majors enjoy the highest percent change from starting median to ten-year median (103.5%) of any major (except for mathematics, with which it is tied). The ten-year median salary of philosophy majors is $81,200, $5,100 higher than that of accounting majors. What do you think? Can you make money with a degree in philosophy?

NIU Career Services provides assistance with career decision making, career preparation, internships, job searches, and graduate school applications. The Philosophy page of the NIU Major WebLinks provides a wealth of career-related information for philosophy majors.

Contact Us

Department of Philosophy
Zulauf Hall 915

Melinda Davis, Office Administrator
ldavis@niu.edu
815-753-0333

Undergraduate Advisor
Prof. Steve Daskal
Zulauf 1026
sdaskal@niu.edu

Graduate Advisor
Prof. Carl Gillett
Zulauf 904
cgillett@niu.edu

Department Chair
Jason Hanna
Zulauf 902
jhanna@niu.edu