A major in philosophy prepares students for a wide range of future possibilities. Philosophy builds skills in reasoning, analysis, speaking and writing that provide the foundation for work in many disciplines and professions. With the broad usefulness of the skills developed in the philosophy major, you'll be prepared for success in just about any career field you choose.
In addition to pursuing careers as professional philosophers, many of our majors pursue vocations in business, education, law, medicine, public and social service, religious vocation and writing.
Business
Philosophy majors' skills in analytic and creative thinking, as well as their strong reading, writing, and speaking abilities, often help them rise quickly in business organizations.
The companies for which our alumni work include American Standard, AT&T, BankOne, Bethlehem Steel, Control Data, Cray Research, DuPont, Eastman Kodak, IBM, Lexis-Nexis, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance, Owens-Corning, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Prudential, Rockwell International and Warner-Lambert. Some of our philosophy alumni have started their own businesses.
They hold virtually every kind of position imaginable: CEO, president, senior vice president, chief administrative officer, director of human resources, senior investment analyst, audit manager, financial services consultant, director of programming management, corporate executive for social services, environmental analyst, systems analyst, sales representative, accountant and insurance agent.
Education
University of Dayton philosophy graduates have become professors in universities and colleges, returned to join the faculty at UD or have made careers teaching at community colleges. Other philosophy majors have become secondary or elementary school teachers in public or private schools in many parts of the country.
Some of our philosophy majors have risen to administrative careers in universities or secondary schools. Some of these administrative positions include university president, VP of academic affairs and provost, VP of university advancement, VP of administration and finance, dean of arts and sciences, department chairperson, director of business and professional programs, director of university library, coordinator of career counseling, director of student financial aid, high school principal, assistant to superintendent of education, assistant director of campus ministry, assistant placement director and student life hall director.
Law
Our philosophy majors have had much success gaining admission to law schools and medical schools, with all who applied to law or medical school immediately after graduation being admitted to some J.D. or M.D. program.
UD philosophy majors who obtained law degrees have taken positions including attorneys in private practice, city solicitor, city counsel, county counsel, deputy general counsel, magistrate, military judge advocate, and public defender. One of our majors has clerked for a federal judge.
Medicine
Some philosophy majors have pursued vocations in medicine. Where they have entered medical fields, they have been very successful.
In addition to serving as surgeons, primary care physicians, dentists, nurses, or midwives, our majors have held positions including senior vice president and CEO (St. Francis Health Foundation), mental health program director, director of managerial care, executive director (of mental health agency), family mental health therapist, community mental health center case manager, hospital chaplain, medical ethics consultant and medical insurance manager.
Public and Social Service
Since philosophy majors commonly study theories of political life, the nature of democracy and the responsibilities of citizenship, quite a few of our majors have become active in public service. Their positions have included: U.S. congressman, deputy general counsel for the FBI, Brazilian federal research director, director of the Bureau of Information Services for the Pennsylvania State Treasury Department, educational researcher and administrator for the U.S. Office of Education and urban planner for the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
Other positions in public service that our majors have held include city solicitor, museum project proposal director, air traffic controller, budget specialist, supply logistics manager, police officer, welfare casework instructor, officer in the armed forces and Peace Corps volunteer.
Philosophy majors have often sought careers in social service agencies as well, working for children's services organizations, community development corporations, Catholic Social Services, the American Red Cross, United Cerebral Palsy, Women in Crisis and other public and private agencies.
Religious Vocation
Given UD's Roman Catholic, Marianist identity, it is not surprising that quite a few philosophy majors have been called to religious vocations, both in religious orders and in other church-related positions and agencies. An undergraduate major in philosophy has long been a traditional path in preparation for seminary study and ordination.
UD philosophy majors have served religious vocations as bishops, priests, religious brothers and sisters, missionaries in the U.S. and abroad, provincial administrators, campus ministers, hospital chaplains, retreat leaders, youth ministers, and religious educators at both the secondary and university levels.
Some of our philosophy majors have also found religious vocations outside of Catholicism. For example, we count a Jewish rabbi, an Episcopalian priest, and the founder of a Protestant halfway house among our alumni.
Writing
Writing is often a central component of philosophy majors' careers.
Those who become teachers or scholars write for academic audiences.
Outside of academia, there are many kinds of work that value the writing skills developed in the study of philosophy.UD philosophy majors have pursued a variety of careers as professional writers, becoming legal writers, print journalists, newspaper editors, editors for university presses, novelists, public relations consultants, technical writers, media specialists and publishers.