Studying Philosophy

Majoring in Philosophy: Graduate School and Career Benefits

Socrates famously said “The unexamined life is not worth living.” We might update that to say “The examined life will make you a living.” Majoring in philosophy prepares you not just for a life of rational reflection, but for your career and professional life.

Graduate School Information:

  • LSAT (Law School Admission Test) is required for most laws schools.
    • Philosophy majors consistently score well, second only to physics/math majors, with an average score of 157.4 on the test, 5.2 points higher than the overall (weighted) mean. (More info)
  • GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) is required for most graduate business programs, including MBAs.
    • Philosophy majors scored the fourth highest overall on the GMAT with a mean score of 580, trailing only the majors from physics, mathematics, and engineering.
  • GRE (Graduate Record Exam) is required for many graduate programs.
    • According to the Educational Testing Service (ETS), philosophy majors rank first on the Verbal Reasoning and the Analytical Writing sections of the exam. More info

Careers and Professions:

  • Law
  • Business/Management: from entrepreneurs and executives to marketing and public relations
  • Government Service
  • Clergy
  • Publishing and Writing
  • Medicine
  • Journalism

A Few Notable Philosophy Majors:

  • Stephen Breyer and David Souter, Supreme Court Justices,
  • Phil Jackson, NBA coach,
  • Steve Martin, actor, author and comedian,
  • Carl Icahn, billionaire financier,
  • Carly Fiorina, former CEO, Hewlett Packard,
  • Stone Philips, broadcaster
  • Rudi Giuliani, former mayor of New York.

Why Major in Philosophy? from a financial advisor