Philosophy

Career Potential

What Can You Do With a Philosophy Degree?

There are a number of fields you can enter after graduating with a degree in philosophy.

Read More

Philosophy Careers

A philosophy degree trains you to be a creative problem solver, who can analyze and synthesize complex information. Philosophy emphasizes not only critical reasoning, ethical reasoning, clear and organized writing, and examining assumptions, but encourages one to "think outside the box." Philosophy majors outperform most other majors on the GREs (they are the highest performers in both the verbal and analytical reasoning sections), the LSATs, the MCATs, and the GMATs, according to Educational Testing Services.

Alumni who major in philosophy may go on to a wide variety of careers in fields such as business, education, government, health professions, law, and religion.

Among Hofstra's 2020-2021 graduates who majored in philosophy, 100% of survey respondents reported that they were employed and/or attending or planning to attend graduate school within six months of graduation. Among Hofstra graduates who majored in the social sciences and who reported salary, the mean annual self-reported salary was $49,000.

Recent philosophy alumni have gone on to work for companies and organizations such as:

  • Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York
  • Crohn's & Colitis Foundation
  • JPMorgan Chase & Co.
  • Northwell Health
  • Penn State University
  • U.S. Army
  • U.S. House of Representatives
  • Vivint, Inc.

Alumni outcomes data is based on the results of Hofstra’s annual Alumni Outcomes Survey and other reliable sources. Of the 1,429 undergraduate students who graduated between August 2020 and May 2021, data was collected via surveys and other reliable sources resulting in knowledge about the outcomes for 67% of the 2020-2021 undergraduate alumni. Salary data is self-reported voluntarily by students and is based upon a 47% response rate for full-time employed undergraduate survey respondents. Salary figures include only annual base salary. They do not include bonus, commission, or any other guaranteed compensation.

See alumni outcome reports in their entirety.

Graduate School and Law School Placement

In recent years, Hofstra philosophy majors have been accepted for graduate study in philosophy at the following universities:

Boston University Philosophy PhD Program
Bowling Green State University, PhD program
Brock University (Canada), MA program
CUNY Grad Center, MA program
CUNY Grad Center, PhD program
Indiana University
Kings College, London, MA program
Loyola University, Chicago
New School for Social Research, MA program
SUNY Albany, PhD program
SUNY Stony Brook, MA program
Syracuse University, PhD program
Temple University, PhD program
Tufts University, MA program
University of California at San Diego, PhD program
University of Colorado at Boulder, PhD program
University of Florida, PhD program
University of Hawaii MA program 
University of Houston, MA program
University of Miami MA program
University of Pennsylvania, PhD program
Villanova University PhD Program 

Our recent graduates have attended the following law schools, among others:

Brooklyn Law School
Cardozo School of Law
Columbia Law School
Fordham Law School
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Hofstra University Deane School of Law
Marquette University
Ohio State University
Rutgers Law School
Seton Hall University
St. John’s University
Touro College Law Center
University of Connecticut School of Law
University of Kentucky
University of Miami School of Law
University of Notre Dame
Washington and Lee School of Law

Our majors (including double-majors) have recently attended the following schools to pursue graduate degrees in fields other than philosophy:

Bank Street College of Education, MSEd program (Elementary Education)
Cornell University, MPS program (Real Estate)
CUNY John Jay College, PhD program (Criminology)
Hofstra University, MSEd program (Elementary Education)
Hofstra University, MSEd program (Secondary Education)
Lutheran Theological Seminary, MDiv (Divinity)
New School for Social Research, PhD program (Political Science)
Northeastern University, MEd program (Elementary Education)
SUNY Stony Brook, MD program (Medicine)
University of Chicago, MA program (Humanities)
University of Pittsburgh, PhD program (Cognitive Neuroscience)University of Washington, PhD program (Germanic Studies, Theory & Criticism)
Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell