Philosophy : Career areas

In 2010, six months after graduation, nearly half of philosophy graduates were in paid employment in the UK or overseas. Areas of work employing large numbers were business and finance (10%), commercial, industrial and public sector management (10%) and marketing, sales and advertising (8%).

At this stage, almost 30% of those in employment were found in either clerical and secretarial or retail, catering and bar jobs. However, it is unlikely that this pattern will be representative of the long-term destinations of philosophy graduates as, like many arts and humanities graduates, they will often take longer to make career decisions and enter a graduate profession.

Where are the jobs?

Philosophy graduates are found working with almost every type of employer in the public, private and not-for-profit sector. Typical employers include:

• the National Health Service;
• civil service;
• advertising, marketing and public relations agencies; 
• investment banks;
• law firms;
• charities;
• publishing firms;
• recruitment agencies.

For more information on some of the career areas entered by philosophy graduates, see these areas:

• law - includes work in the court system, firms of solicitors, barristers’ chambers (advocates’ stables in Scotland), private companies and central and local government;
• government and public administration - incorporating a huge range of opportunities within the civil service and local government;
• banking, investment and insurance - includes the activities of banks and investment banks and markets, as well as roles in insurance.

See industry insights for further information on possibilities in other employment areas.

Statistics are collected every year by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) to show what HE students do immediately after graduation. These can be a useful guide but, in reality, with the data being collected within just six months of graduation, many graduates are travelling, waiting to start a course, paying off debts, getting work experience or still deciding what they want to do. For further information about some of the areas of employment commonly entered by graduates of any degree discipline, check out What Do Graduates Do?  and your degree...what next?