The following resources have been collected to assist undergraduate students studying (or considering studying) philosophy. If you have a resource you would like to see added to this list, please send us your suggestion.
Why Study Philosophy?
- Philosophy: A brief guide for undergraduates
The APA's guide to philosophy for undergraduates
- Why Major in Philosophy? UNC
UNC’s Philosophy Department shares some reasons why majoring in philosophy is a good idea.
- Why Major in Philosophy? Notre Dame
Notre Dame’s philosophy department explains the benefits of obtaining a degree in philosophy.
- Why Major in Philosophy? Washington University at St. Louis
The department of philosophy at WUSTL describes the types of skills you obtain from studying philosophy.
- 5 Reasons to Major in Philosophy
A video by Kevin deLaplante of the Critical Thinker Academy about the reasons why you should study philosophy.
- Why Major or Minor in Philosophy? Northwestern
The philosophy department at Northwestern provides a brief overview of studying philosophy, including famous individuals who have a degree in philosophy.
- The Philosophy Major at the University of Missouri–St. Louis
This document created by UMSL includes information on careers, salaries, grad school, and well-known philosophy majors.
- "Be Employable, Study Philosophy"
A journalist discusses reasons why the most valuable courses she took were philosophy courses.
- "In a New Generation of College Students, Many Opt for the Life Examined"
An article by Winnie Hu published in the New York Times looks at the trend towards more philosophy majors.
- Philosophy Performance on the LSAT (PDF)
An APA info sheet showing that philosophy majors excel on the law school admission exam as compared to other students.
- Philosophy Performance on the GRE (PDF)
An APA info sheet showing that philosophy majors consistently perform better than their peers on the graduate school admissions test.
- Who Studies Philosophy?
Well-known people in business, politics, entertainment, and other disciplines who studied philosophy at some point in their lives.
- Famous Philosophy Majors Poster
Catherine Nolan, a philosophy graduate student at SUNY Buffalo and an APA member, has created a great poster featuring names and photos of well-known people who majored in philosophy.
Resources
- APA Directory of Undergraduate Philosophy Clubs and Groups
The APA's directory of undergraduate philosophy clubs and groups throughout the US and Canada—and around the world. Find one near you, or submit information on your club!
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
From its inception, the SEP was designed so that each entry is maintained and kept up to date by an expert or group of experts in the field.
- APA Statement on the Major
Answers questions about what it means to be a philosophy major, which courses to take, and more.
- Philosophy Resources on the Web, University of Northern Colorado
UNC provides links to information about philosophy, including undergraduate philosophy journals, guides to writing good philosophical papers, and pursuing graduate school.
- Wi-Phi: Open Access Philosophy
Short videos by prominent philosophers on different topics that are presented in a fun, interesting manner and are accessible to people with no background in the subject.
- McNair Scholars Program
A federally funded program designed to prepare undergraduate students from under-represented groups for success in graduate school.
- How to Talk to Your Parents About Majoring in the Humanities
Choosing to major in any of the humanities disciplines brings with it many intellectual challenges and rewards.
- New Philosopher magazine
Newphilosopher.com is the website of New Philosopher magazine. It's an online portal for exploring philosophical ideas on ways to live a more fulfilling life. Read the articles, join in discussions, watch free online documentaries and plan your trip to the next festival near you.
- Guide to Financial Aid for Students
PublicHealth.org wants to help students avoid overwhelming student loan debt, so their team created this guide to financial aid to help students understand all of their options.
After Graduation
- Guide to Graduate Programs in Philosophy
The APA provides this guide to offer prospective philosophy graduate students and others with basic information about the opportunities in North America for professional training in philosophy.
- Graduate School Philosophy Placement Records in the US and Canada: Will I Get a Job?
Andrew Carson analyzed publicly available placement data from philosophy graduate programs. The data he shares on Philosophy News include percentages of graduates by gender, placements broken down by types, and where different program's placement records rank on various metrics.
- Beyond Academia: Professional Opportunities for Philosophers
Originally published in the APA Proceedings and Addresses 58:2 (November 1984) as "Careers for Philosophers," this document was revised and expanded in 2016 by the committee on non-academic careers. It provides resources, information, data, and advice to philosophers interested in a wide range of professions outside of academia.
- Philosophy Degress and Famous People who have 'em
An extensive post from Raymont’s Lists of famous people who have studied philosophy as well as a collection of articles that describe why a background in philosophy is useful for a variety of fields.
- I Think, Therefore I Earn?
An article by Jessica Shepherd from the Guardian details the reasons why employers want to hire philosophy majors.
- What Can I Do with a Humanities Degree? by Bruce B. Janz
This page answers several commonly asked questions about the worth of a humanities degree.
- What is Philosophy Good For?
A PDF by APA member Eddy Nahmias of Georgia State University.
- Philosophy Admissions
A spreadsheet that contains information on the admissions requirements for ~100 PhD and ~30 funded MA programs in the US, Canada, and the UK. These requirements include the deadline for the application, application fee, if there’s a fee waiver (and if so, what kind/where to access it), type of transcript (official vs. unofficial), how many letters of recommendation, etc.
Photo Credit: Rock Ethics Institute (CC BY-ND 2.0)
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