Why Study Philosophy?
The philosophy programs are not designed to lead you toward a narrow range of professional careers. As a philosophy student you will develop skills to evaluate critically what you read, to examine and to write clearly what you believe, and (through response-group and class discussion) to think in a cooperative way. These skills are highly valued in many careers and in all graduate and advanced professional study.
In the 1990's philosophy majors from Georgetown College have earned Ph.D.'s in philosophy, medical ethics, and psychology. Five were admitted to law school and one earned the top rank in U.K. Law School's class of 1997. Others have earned masters degrees in philosophy (3), theology (3), psychology (2), library science, communication arts, English literature, and computer science. Three are in medical school. Two were awarded Fulbright research grants to study philosophy in Singapore and Spain. One was admitted to the Oxford Program, new for Fall 1999, for further study at Oxford University. Others have begun successful careers in publishing and advertising, building construction, the military, and professional arbitration.
A recent survey in the United States shows that philosophy majors:
- scored higher than any other major on the verbal GRE
- scored higher than any other major except Mathematics on the GMAT
- scored higher than any other major except Mathematics and Economics on the LSAT
- scored higher than any other humanities major on the quantitative GRE
For more information about how broadly and well prepared are philosophy majors for life and careers, you might look at these web sites: