What You Can Do With Your Philosophy Degree

Studying philosophy teaches you critical thinking and writing skills that are conducive to success in a wide variety of careers and occupations. A recent article in The Huffington Post detailed the impact of philosophy majors in the business world and recent articles in The Atlantic and Salon have called philosophy "the most practical major" because it prepares graduates for diverse employment opportunities through the inculcation of transferable skills.

A major in philosophy is also outstanding preparation for advanced study in graduate and professional programs, including business, medicine, and law.

Philosophy majors are most frequently employed as attorneys, software engineers/developers, project/operations managers, paralegals, data analysts, and marketing managers. The State of Illinois Occupational Employment Projections (Long-term) 2018-2028 lists these as growth fields.

Contact Us

Department of Philosophy
Zulauf Hall 915

Melinda Davis, Office Administrator
ldavis@niu.edu
815-753-0333

Undergraduate Advisor
Prof. Steve Daskal
Zulauf 1026
sdaskal@niu.edu

Graduate Advisor
Prof. Carl Gillett
Zulauf 904
cgillett@niu.edu

Department Chair
Jason Hanna
Zulauf 902
jhanna@niu.edu