What is Philosophy?
Thinking – it’s what humanity has been doing its entire history and what separates us from the animals. We’ve solved seemingly impossible problems because of the power of our cortex, and we’ve brought great tragedy on ourselves because of our failure to think correctly.
Some people hear about a degree in philosophy and immediately dismiss it as impractical or even “useless.” While that’s factually untrue, as we’ll discuss in a minute, it also misses the point. One of the best things we can do for ourselves is learn how to think well, and think critically.
A college philosophy degree seeks to tackle the challenge of answering humanity’s biggest questions. Epistemology studies knowledge itself. How do we know what we know? Ontology studies what it means to be a being. Maybe you’ve heard the term “metaphysically” before. Well, metaphysics in philosophy is the study of what is real.
There are countless subsets of philosophy. Maybe you’re studying ethics, asking what the good life is, or pursuing aesthetics, questioning the nature of beauty itself. Whatever avenue you pursue in philosophy, you are learning about questions that matter not just for a career, but for living as a human being.
Possible Careers with A Philosophy Major
All of that was not to say that philosophy is only good for self-fulfillment. The abstract thinking and problem solving skills you develop through philosophical reasoning prepares you very well for future careers. Philosophy is the highest earning humanities major by a healthy margin, from right out of school to later career.
So while most philosophy majors won’t pursue a grad school education and find a job doing scholarly work, the skills you learn in the major translate very well into the “practical world.”
Some possible careers to consider for philosophy majors include (but are certainly not limited to):
- Lawyer (Philosophy Majors are some of the top performers on the LSAT test!)
- Consultant
- Counselor
- Corporate trainer
- Entrepreneur
- Financial analyst
- Teacher
- Healthcare
- Administrator
- Human Resources
If you’re considering studying philosophy and want to know where to go, then you’re in the right place! We’ll talk about some of the top big name colleges, liberal arts colleges, and hidden gem schools for philosophy.
The Big Names
Stanford University
Stanford University is an elite college in Stanford, California – right by the city of San Francisco and near the heart of Silicon Valley. It has an undergraduate population of 7,000 and an extremely difficult acceptance rate of 4.4%. Those that get admitted, however, enjoy one of the best philosophy colleges in the world.
Stanford offers a bachelor's degree in Philosophy, as well as in Philosophy and Religious Studies. You can also get a masters or PhD in Philosophy. The Philosophy major at Stanford actually has multiple “concentrations” you can specialize in: the History and Philosophy of Science, and Philosophy and Literature.
Because of Stanford’s proximity to the world’s biggest tech leaders, their philosophy department is known for its interdisciplinary approach with departments like linguistics, psychology, and computer science. Stanford is a great place to study the philosophy of mind and cognitive science.
They also have specialized initiatives like the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, one of the most widely used resources on the subject in the world.
Harvard University
One of the top schools in the world, Harvard University sits on the east coast in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It has 7,000 undergraduate students and an acceptance rate of only 3.4%. Harvard offers bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees in Philosophy. They also have interdisciplinary PhD programs in Classical Philosophy and Indian Philosophy.
One of the key selling points of Harvard, their philosophy department included, is that students can tailor their studies to their interests and career goals. If you wanted, you could connect your philosophy degree to law, government, psychology, or more, because of the broad and flexible curriculum. Very few of their courses have prerequisites too, meaning that you can take the classes in whatever order makes sense for you.
Harvard students are right on the cutting edge of philosophical research too, as the department publishes the renowned Harvard Review of Philosophy academic journal. Students wrestle with challengings questions presented by some of the top minds in the world, right at their doorstep.
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with 11,200 undergraduate students attending. It is an elite college, and the acceptance rate is a measly 6%.
According to CollegeFactual, which ranks UPenn as the #1 college for philosophy, students who graduate from here earn $30,821 more than the average philosophy grad! Not only are there world-renowned faculty to facilitate one of the best philosophy educations, but student outcomes are extremely impressive financially.
UPenn’s philosophy department offers a unique interdisciplinary program called Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE), which melds together the three fields into one course of study that uniquely prepares students for jobs like government and law.
Research is a big focus at UPenn Philosophy, with almost 30 different subfields of philosophy being researched by faculty there. Students who study here have access to a broad range of philosophical topics by leading experts in their field.
Liberal Arts Colleges
One of the best ways to learn philosophy is in conjunction with other studies – a style of learning that a liberal arts college provides. At liberal arts schools, there are smaller classes, more discussions, and a greater emphasis on the interdisciplinary nature of every subject.
If that sounds like something you’re interested in, then these are some of the best liberal arts schools for philosophy!
Amherst College
Amherst College has an undergraduate population of 1,800 students, a difficult admissions process with an acceptance rate of 11.8%, and can be found in Amherst, Massachusetts. It is considered one of the top liberal arts colleges in the nation, and that’s no different for the area of philosophy.
Some of the key learning outcomes that you can expect from Amherst, and from many of the other top philosophy departments, are:
- Familiarity with the central figures and texts in the history of ancient and modern philosophy
- Familiarity with and reflection on contemporary topics and practices.
- The ability to read, analyze, and articulate arguments in primary texts and discussions, providing fair evaluations.
- The ability to communicate clearly and effectively in speech and writing.
- The ability to offer original arguments.
- The ability to anticipate and even appreciate objections to your views, and to respond to them reasonably, imaginatively, and respectfully.
Davidson College
Located in Davidson, North Carolina, Davidson College is a small liberal arts school with just under 2,000 undergraduates attending. It has a very competitive acceptance rate of 17.8% and offers a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.
Davidson attempts to provide a systematic approach to foundational questions. They teach students how to abstract problems and find real, lasting solutions – weeding out the superficial ones.
Vassar College
Vassar College is in Poughkeepsie, New York, but don’t let the town name scare you away! This liberal arts school has around 2,500 undergraduate students, an acceptance rate of about 20%, and boasts an impressive philosophy department.
There is a long list of philosophy courses to choose from despite the small size of the college, including unique options like:
- What is College For?
- Philosophy of Arts and Aesthetics
- Latin American Philosophy
- Feminist Theory
- Film and Philosophy
- Reading the Analects of Confucius
- Philosophy of Mental Illness
Hidden Gems
We also included some colleges that aren’t considered “Ivy League” but will still give you one of the top philosophy educations out there!
University of Pittsburgh
Like its name suggests, the University of Pittsburgh is right in the heart of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It has a robust undergraduate student body of 19,000 students, and the acceptance rate is just over half, at 56%. You can get a bachelors, masters, or PhD in philosophy here as well.
Pitt is a highly respected philosophy department nationwide, and graduating with a philosophy degree here will “materially help” students get into good graduate schools or professional schools, according to their website. They offer a robust list of courses, and even have two tracks that students can take for their degree.
Since they encourage students who are majoring in other fields like biology, psychology, and history to pick up a philosophy degree to help them be better thinkers and problem solvers, Pitt has a standard major track that is less time consuming, and then a more rigorous intensive major track for the students who are prioritizing the philosophy degree.
The University of Pittsburgh is especially known for their work in the philosophy of science. They house the Center for Philosophy of Science, where well-known scholars from around the world contribute their work to the field.
University of Oregon
Situated in Eugene, Oregon, the University of Oregon has 19,000 students and an attainable acceptance rate of 82.8%. They offer a bachelors, masters, or PhD in Philosophy, as well as a minor in Ethics.
Oregon’s philosophy department is especially known for its focus on environmental theory, and they also specialize in:
- Ethics
- Social and Political Philosophy
- American Philosophy
- Continental Philosophy
- Feminist Philosophy
- Philosophy of Race
There is an undergraduate philosophy club at Oregon, as well as public lectures and conferences with some of the best thinkers around the world.
Other Great Programs
Here are some other great value schools for philosophy to consider attending:
- Eastern Michigan University
- San Francisco State University
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG)
- Loyola University Chicago
- St. John’s University (New York)
- University of Houston
What Do You Think?
Now that you’ve seen both the practical and inherent value of a philosophy degree and learned some of the top schools for the field, what do you think? Does philosophy sound like the path for you? We hope that this article helped you find great schools for philosophy to ponder attending!
