Social Science
What you can do with Philosophy
Hard questions about knowledge, ethics and reality, and the sharpest training there is in reasoning and writing.
- Careers
- 4
- Early career
- $52,000
- Mid-career
- $80,000
- Growing fast
- 0 of 4
How these numbers work: A major does not have its own salary. Early and mid-career pay is what people who hold this degree earn at the start of their careers and midway through them. Career pay comes from the 4 careers a Philosophy degree commonly leads to, and counts everyone in those jobs, including people who have been doing them for thirty years. The two answer different questions, which is why they do not match.
57% of people with this degree go on to a graduate degree, so the higher-paying careers below usually mean more school after the bachelor's.
0 of 4 careers this degree leads to are projected to grow faster than average from 2024 to 2034.
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4 careers this degree leads to
Lawyer / Attorney
$159,670Advise and represent clients in legal matters, prepare legal documents, and argue cases.
- Middle half of workers
- $102,990 to $221,370
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 31,500
Work-life35Remote45Satisfaction70- Legal Research
- Writing
- Oral Advocacy
- Critical Thinking
Editor
$77,920Shape written work from draft to publication: plan coverage, sharpen copy, and decide what runs.
- Middle half of workers
- $57,300 to $106,100
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 9,800
Work-life66Remote75- Editing
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Judgment
Writer / Author
$76,910Write the scripts, stories, articles, and copy that inform and entertain, in staff roles or as an independent author.
- Middle half of workers
- $58,230 to $101,950
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 13,400
Work-life54Remote26- Writing
- Storytelling
- Editing
- Research
Clergy / Minister
$60,810Lead a congregation in worship, teaching and care, and support people through the hardest moments of their lives.
- Middle half of workers
- $48,260 to $76,640
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 23,000
- Public Speaking
- Counseling
- Leadership
- Writing
Related majors
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Where these pay figures come from
Early and mid-career pay is the median annual wage of full-time workers who hold a bachelor's degree in that major, ages 22 to 27 and ages 35 to 45, from 2024 data. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (IPUMS). Published as Outcomes by Major by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).
All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.