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Why Philosophy?

Becoming a Philosopher

There are many reasons why you should become a Philosophy Major.

First and foremost, philosophy wrestles with ultimate questions that permeate all aspects of our practical existence, such as: Does God exists? Is abortion morally wrong? What constitutes a just and an unjust war? What is the purpose of our existence? In addition to dealing with these profound issues, philosophy provides students with many practical intellectual benefits, including but not limited to the following: 

• Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills for graduate school. See .
• Excellent argumentative skills which will be especially beneficial for many career paths, such as law school, journalism, medical professions, etc..
•  Excellent preparation for taking standardized exams such as the GRE, GMAT, and LSAT. (Philosophy majors score higher on the GRE than any other major in the Humanities and Arts.)
• A comprehensive undergraduate foundation for most careers (law, medicine, politics, journalism, nursing, business, social work, etc.).
• Excellent communication skills.
• Excellent reasoning skills, and problem solving skills.
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The Chronicle of Higher Education: 

The Chronicle of Higher Education:

Why Study Philosophy at É«ÖÐÉ«?

• The Department offers an excellent curriculum that engages important contemporary issues such as diversity, globalization, environmental ethics, etc.
• The Department has excellent faculty members who have published in some of the most respected journals in their profession.
• The Department is provides students with many exciting opportunities to get involved in extracurricular and hands-on experiences through its Student Philosophy Club, Debate Team, Honor Society, Honors Program, Undergraduate Philosophy Conference, and SOARS Program.

Philosophy For Careers

Philosophy majors have the HIGHEST percentage salary increases from beginning to mid-career at 103.5% 

"Philosophy teaches students how to think well - a quality prized by many employers. Philosophers are good at:

• Summarizing and logically organizing complex information.
• Prioritizing questions and issues.
• Evaluating opposing views.
• Determining the morally relevant features of situations, actions, and policies .
• Taking principled approaches to problem-solving.
• Thinking of alternative approaches and solutions.
• Writing in a clear, focused way.
• Reasoning persuasively, both in writing and orally.
• Offering and accepting criticism without personalizing it, and tolerating uncertainty.

Given the marketability of these skills, it is perhaps no surprise that philosophy is becoming an increasingly popular area of study."

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1998 statistics from the Association of American Medical Colleges show that 50% of Philosophy majors are accepted into Medical Schools, the highest probability of all majors.

"... the 1998 statistics from the Association of American Medical Colleges-the organization that runs the American Medical College Application Service-showing applicants' acceptance rates, broken down by major:

As you can see, humanities majors have higher acceptance rates than science majors. This is a simple fact that many premeds simply ignore, as presumptions are handed down from one ill-informed class to the next. But the numbers are powerful - a 50% chance of admission means that a philosophy major can fill out a med school application, then flip a coin to determine whether or not to send it in: heads, they're accepted; tails, they're not. The rest have to take their chances with even more unreliable probabilities." 

- Paul Jung, M.D.

Philosophy For Graduate School

The Department of Philosophy at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon have shown that Philosophy majors score higher on the GRE than any other major in the Humanities and Arts. 

GRE (Graduate Record Examination) 2003-2006

Source: GRE Guide to the Use of Scores 2007-2008