Options with philosophy
Philosophy teaches you how to think for yourself and how to analyse and communicate ideas in an understandable, balanced and well thought-out manner. Find out where this ability to think critically and logically can lead...
Jobs directly related to your degree include:
Jobs where your degree would be useful include:
Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here. To find out what jobs would suit you, log in to My Prospects.
You may want to consider enhancing your long-term employment prospects by gaining short-term work experience or doing voluntary work. Entry-level work, perhaps in an office, can provide an insight into the way a company or institution operates, the long-term employment options available and the general work environment. It can also help you decide whether you want to work in the public, private or voluntary sector.
Entry-level work in very competitive areas such as media, PR and publishing is also a very good way of 'getting a foot in the door' and may lead to rewarding long-term work.
Jobs can be found online, through personal contacts, advertisements in the local press, registering with a recruitment agency, your university careers service and jobcentres.
Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.
Philosophy graduates are found working with almost every type of employer in the public, private and not-for-profit sector. Typical employers include:
Find information on employers in law, the public sector, accountancy, banking and finance, and other job sectors.
Studying philosophy helps you:
You also gain general skills including:
For careers such as law, lecturing and teaching, further qualifications are essential. For careers such as journalism and advertising, a postgraduate qualification may be useful, but it is relevant work experience that is essential. To decide if further study is necessary you should research the career areas that interest you.
Many philosophy graduates continue with further study of their discipline, possibly with the intention of pursuing a career as a lecturer but often due to their love of philosophy. Other graduates chose to study something vocational at postgraduate level - common areas have included law, publishing and journalism.
For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see postgraduate study in the UK and search courses and research.
After graduating, more than half of philosophy graduates are in paid employment in the UK or overseas.
At this stage, 30% of those in employment are 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.
Find out what other graduates are doing six months after finishing their degrees in What Do Graduates Do?
Graduate destinations data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
