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Philosophy Doctor's Degree

Philosophy Doctor’s Degrees

There are 775 schools in the United States where you can earn adoctor’s degree in Philosophy. This degree is more popular with male students, and about28% were students from underrepresented racial-ethnic groups. Also, 22.5% of Philosophy graduates were international students.

Education Levels of Philosophy Majors

During the most recent year for which data is available, 8,973 people earned theirPhilosophy majors across all award levels. The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in Philosophy at each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Certificate 9
Associate’s Degree 411
Bachelor’s Degree 7,103
Master’s Degree 1,010
Doctor’s Degree (this page) 440

Earnings of Philosophy Majors With Doctor’s Degrees (All Award Levels)

The median salary for graduates holding adoctor’s degree in Philosophy of $46,522 four years after graduation. These figures are reported program-wide, across all award levels.

However, this can depend on a number of factors, such as where you live and the number of years of experience you have.

Years After Graduation Median Earnings
1 year $35,242
4 years $46,522
5 years $56,339

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker (program-wide, all award levels).

Student Debt (All Award Levels)

We do not have the data to estimate the median debt for graduates with this degree.

Student Diversity

This degree is more popular with male students. About 59.5% of graduates in this field are men.

Gender Number of Grads
Men 262
Women 178
Gender Diversity of Doctor's Degrees in Philosophy

The racial-ethnic distribution of Philosophy graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity Number of Grads Share
White 218 49.5%
Asian 11 2.5%
Hispanic or Latino 50 11.4%
Black or African American 26 5.9%
Two or More Races 13 3.0%
Race Unknown 23 5.2%
International Students 99 22.5%
Racial-Ethnic Diversity of Philosophy Doctor's Degree Students

This degree is very popular with international students. Around 22.5% of graduates are in this category.

See the minority definition in the References below.

There are 913 colleges that offer a doctor’s degree in Philosophy. Learn more about the most popular below:

#1

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania tops the list of the most popular schools in the U.S. for Philosophy majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 202 doctor's degrees in Philosophy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Philosophy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-Los Angeles comes in at #2 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Philosophy. This school awarded 121 doctor's degrees in Philosophy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Philosophy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#3

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA

Boston College is a popular choice for Philosophy majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 102 people received their doctor's degree in Philosophy from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-Santa Barbara comes in at #4 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Philosophy. During the most recent year for which we have data, 102 people received their doctor's degree in Philosophy from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Philosophy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-Berkeley comes in at #5 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Philosophy. This school awarded 96 doctor's degrees in Philosophy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Philosophy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Washington-Seattle Campus comes in at #6 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Philosophy. This school awarded 96 doctor's degrees in Philosophy in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of Southern California comes in at #7 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Philosophy. During the most recent year for which we have data, 92 people received their doctor's degree in Philosophy from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Philosophy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#8

New York University

New York, NY

New York University is a popular choice for Philosophy majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 86 doctor's degrees in Philosophy in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

Columbia University in the City of New York is a popular choice for Philosophy majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 83 doctor's degrees in Philosophy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Philosophy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Colorado Boulder comes in at #10 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Philosophy. During the most recent year for which we have data, 83 people received their doctor's degree in Philosophy from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Philosophy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#11

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

University of Chicago comes in at #11 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Philosophy. During the most recent year for which we have data, 78 people received their doctor's degree in Philosophy from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Philosophy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Maryland-College Park comes in at #12 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Philosophy. This school awarded 78 doctor's degrees in Philosophy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Philosophy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#13

Boston University

Boston, MA

Boston University comes in at #13 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Philosophy. During the most recent year for which we have data, 77 people received their doctor's degree in Philosophy from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of Wisconsin-Madison is a popular choice for Philosophy majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 67 doctor's degrees in Philosophy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Philosophy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Arizona State University Digital Immersion comes in at #15 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Philosophy. This school awarded 65 doctor's degrees in Philosophy in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#16

Emory University

Atlanta, GA

Emory University comes in at #16 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Philosophy. During the most recent year for which we have data, 63 people received their doctor's degree in Philosophy from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-Davis comes in at #17 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Philosophy. During the most recent year for which we have data, 62 people received their doctor's degree in Philosophy from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor comes in at #18 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Philosophy. This school awarded 62 doctor's degrees in Philosophy in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-Irvine comes in at #19 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Philosophy. This school awarded 61 doctor's degrees in Philosophy in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University comes in at #20 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Philosophy. This school awarded 61 doctor's degrees in Philosophy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Philosophy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Philosophy Concentrations

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
Philosophy 8,253
Philosophy, Other 328
Applied and Professional Ethics 234
Ethics 147
Logic 11

Below are some popular majors similar to Philosophy that also offer doctor’s degrees.

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
Religion/Religious Studies 9,248
Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other 224
PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES 184

References

The racial-ethnic minority student count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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