BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
What Can You Do With a Philosophy Degree? Jobs (2026)
Key takeaway: A philosophy degree does not name a job, so every path on this page runs through something added to it: a law degree, a doctorate, a teaching license, a seminary degree, or demonstrable quantitative skill. The table below lists the associated occupations with their national median annual wages, the highest being lawyer at $159,670 and the lowest clergy at $60,810 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). The teaching path inside the discipline is the narrowest: it requires a PhD and offers about 2,000 openings per year nationally.
Philosophy trains three things well: formal reasoning, close reading of difficult text, and written argument. Those are inputs to a lot of work and a direct qualification for almost none of it. That is the honest starting point, and it is also why the graduates who do well are the ones who decided early what the philosophy would attach to.
Jobs you can get with a philosophy degree
| Occupation | Median annual wage | What it additionally requires |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer | $159,670 | A law degree and bar admission |
| Management analyst | $101,860 | Demonstrable quantitative and business skill |
| Philosophy and religion teacher, postsecondary | $80,260 | A doctorate for nearly all positions |
| Editor | $77,920 | A portfolio and editing experience |
| Writer and author | $76,910 | Published or publishable work |
| Secondary school teacher | $72,040 | A state teaching license |
| Clergy | $60,810 | Ordination and usually a seminary degree |
View the data behind this chart
| Occupation | Avg. annual openings |
|---|---|
| Management Analysts | 98,100/yr |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 66,200/yr |
| Lawyers | 31,500/yr |
| Clergy | 23,000/yr |
| Writers and Authors | 13,400/yr |
| Editors | 9,800/yr |
| Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary | 2,000/yr |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians. Median means half of workers in the occupation earned more and half earned less. None of these occupations hires on a philosophy degree alone.
Lawyer. The national median annual wage was $159,670 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). The 10th percentile was $78,360 and the 90th was $351,600. Employment was 864,800 in 2024, projected to grow 4.1 percent by 2034, with 31,500 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Philosophy is a long-established pre-law major because the LSAT and the first year of law school test argument reconstruction, formal inference, and reading under time pressure. Law schools admit on grades and test scores rather than on major, and the wide wage spread here reflects real differences between practice areas and markets. Compare the legal studies program guide for undergraduate coursework closer to legal practice.
Management analyst. The national median annual wage was $101,860 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). The 10th percentile was $60,640 and the 90th was $171,640. Employment was 1,075,100 in 2024, projected to grow 8.8 percent by 2034, with 98,100 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). This is the largest and fastest-growing occupation on the list, and it is where the gap between reasoning ability and hireable skill is widest. Firms screen on quantitative coursework, modeling, and prior business exposure. A philosophy major who adds statistics, economics, or an analytics minor competes here. One who does not, generally does not.
Philosophy and religion teacher, postsecondary. The national median annual wage was $80,260 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). The 10th percentile was $49,140 and the 90th was $139,580. Employment was 27,300 in 2024, projected to change 0.7 percent by 2034, with about 2,000 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). This is the only occupation on the list that is philosophy as such, and it is the hardest to enter. Nearly all positions require a completed doctorate, which is five to seven years of graduate study past the bachelor’s. Tenure-track posts are scarce, adjunct and visiting positions are contingent work rather than a career, and the number of new doctorates each year exceeds the number of permanent openings. See how to become a philosophy professor for the full path.
Editor and writer. Editors had a national median annual wage of $77,920 with a 10th percentile of $41,250 and a 90th of $153,700; employment was 115,800 in 2024, projected to grow 0.6 percent with 9,800 openings per year. Writers and authors had a median of $76,910 with a 10th percentile of $44,310 and a 90th of $139,870; employment was 135,400 in 2024, projected to grow 3.6 percent with 13,400 openings per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Philosophy graduates land here on the strength of the writing rather than the subject. A portfolio does the hiring. Substantial freelance and contract work sits inside both occupations, and self-employed earnings are not reflected the same way as salaried wages.
Clergy. The national median annual wage was $60,810 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). The 10th percentile was $37,860 and the 90th was $98,890. Employment was 262,000 in 2024, projected to grow 1.0 percent by 2034, with 23,000 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Entry runs through a denomination’s ordination process, which typically expects a seminary degree. Philosophy of religion, ethics, and the history sequence are standard preparation. Compare the theology program guide for the direct route.
Secondary school teacher. The national median annual wage was $72,040 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). The 10th percentile was $48,780 and the 90th was $107,600. Employment was 1,094,500 in 2024, projected to change -1.6 percent by 2034, with 66,200 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Openings are high relative to growth because the occupation is large and replacement hiring dominates. Philosophy is rarely a licensed high school subject, so graduates certify in social studies or English through a state-approved licensure program.
What the degree level changes
Nothing in philosophy is licensed, so the question is not which credential unlocks which title. It is what each level makes possible.
The online bachelor’s in philosophy is the general four-year credential plus the reasoning and writing training. It is the level at which most people stop, and it is the right level for pre-law, for pairing with a second major, or for entering a licensure or seminary program afterward.
The online master’s in philosophy is a targeted addition: doctoral preparation, or a terminal applied ethics credential for people working in clinical, research, or compliance settings. It does not qualify you for tenure-track teaching.
The doctorate is the credential for postsecondary teaching, and it is a long commitment against a small number of openings.
Common questions
What jobs can you get with a philosophy degree?
Directly, few. The associated occupations are lawyer, management analyst, postsecondary philosophy and religion teacher, editor, writer and author, secondary school teacher, and clergy, and each of those requires something added to the philosophy degree. Common entry-level titles for new graduates use the writing and analysis skills rather than the subject: research assistant, policy assistant, paralegal, technical writer, and analyst roles at organizations that hire generalists.
How much do philosophy majors make?
There is no BLS wage series for a major. The national medians for the associated occupations run from $159,670 at the top for lawyers down to $60,810 for clergy (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). The full list is in the table above. What a philosophy graduate earns depends far more on the second credential than on the major.
Is philosophy good preparation for law school?
Yes, in the sense that the coursework rehearses what the LSAT tests and what the first year of law school demands. It is not an admissions advantage by itself. Grades and test scores decide admission, and any major can produce both.
Can I teach philosophy with a master’s?
Generally only as a community college adjunct, which is contingent, per-course work. Nearly all full-time postsecondary positions require a doctorate. The occupation is projected to change 0.7 percent from 2024 to 2034, with about 2,000 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034).
Which of these careers pays best?
Law, by a wide margin at the median, at $159,670 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). It also carries the longest and most expensive additional credential. Management analyst at $101,860 has the most openings and the fastest projected growth at 8.8 percent, and it is reachable without a professional degree if you can show quantitative skill (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034).
Is a philosophy degree worth it?
It is worth it when you treat it as the reasoning half of a two-part plan, and it disappoints when you expect it to work alone. The is a philosophy degree worth it page walks through the trade-offs.
Keep exploring
- Start at the philosophy program hub, then compare levels: online bachelor’s and online master’s.
- Walk through how to become a philosophy professor, or weigh the trade-offs on is it worth it.
- Find programs near you at the state index.
- Compare related fields: theology, legal studies, liberal arts, and english.
Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.