[This is an older post that I occasionally update and move to the front]
There are countless benefits to studying philosophy that cannot be measured in practical terms. And an undergraduate degree in philosophy is obviously a useful degree for graduate study in a number of fields. Setting these issues aside, some students—and their parents—wonder about the practical benefits of an undergraduate philosophy degree itself. Below are a handful of recent and semi-recent articles and interviews that might help in considering the potential benefits.
1. "Philosophy is Back in Business" (by Dov Seidman, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of LRN; appeared in Business Week, January, 2010). Seidman claims that insights from philosophy are valuable in the business world, and argues in favor of hiring philosophy majors: "Forget economics. Philosophy offers a deeper, broader way of thinking to help guide companies through times made tougher by overspecialized experts."
2. This is salary survey data from PayScale Inc. (2008), which suggests that people with undergraduate degrees in philosophy fare quite well financially—especially in mid-career. The Wall Street Journal refers to this study:
Your parents might have worried when you chose Philosophy or International Relations as a major. But a year-long survey of 1.2 million people with only a bachelor's degree by PayScale Inc. shows that graduates in these subjects earned 103.5% and 97.8% more, respectively, about 10 years post-commencement. Majors that didn't show as much salary growth include Nursing and Information Technology.
There are some surprising numbers in this study; for example, the mid-career median salary for those with philosophy undergraduate degrees is $81,200; while it is $72,100 for those with undergraduate degrees in Business Management.
3. In The New York Times (April 2008), "In a New Generation of College Students, Many Opt for the Life Examined."
4. In The Guardian (November 2007), "The Rise in Stock of Philosophy Graduates: I Think, Therefore I Earn."
5. A 15 minute audio interview from 2009 with the UK's Senior Fellow in the Public Understanding of Philosophy, Dr. Angie Hobbs, Warwick University. Dr. Hobbs discusses the benefits of studying philosophy.
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