In Prospective Students

Benefits of a Philosophy Major

Studies show that there’s no single “best” degree for any particular career. (Yes, that includes "pre-professional" majors like Business or Accounting!). The takeaway: We think you should study what excites you. If you do, the value of your degree will last you for the rest of your life.

Of course, the skills you learn in your philosophy courses (like effective communication, critical thinking, logical analysis), are also valuable and marketable: That’s part of why Philosophy majors are increasingly in high demand from employers. Plus, as a Philosophy major, you’ll get to practice these skills in a wide range of contexts—from the Philosophy of Sport and Games to the Philosophy of Religion, from Sexual Ethics to the Philosophy of Technology. That means you can follow your curiosity wherever it leads. Below are some of the personal and professional benefits of following this path.

Gain Valuable Skills

The study of philosophy is an excellent preparation for a range of careers. It is also a path toward living a meaningful life. Here are some of the skills and practices that are central to the study of philosophy that will prepare you for both personal and professional success:

Ethical reasoning: Learn how to puzzle through a range of challenging situations while formulating deep and important questions like: What does it mean to live a good life? What responsibilities do we owe to one another? What are the sources of moral authority?
Argument analysis and construction: Learn to write persuasively, unpack complicated claims, evaluate evidence, and uncover hidden assumptions while exploring the relationship between logic and language; whether “just asking questions” is a harmless activity; and why intelligent people can still disagree.
Investigation of complex problems: Learn how to propose different (and sometimes conflicting) interpretations of a text; to explore different (and sometimes conflicting) worldviews; and to raise novel questions on seemingly settled matters. Each of these things takes open-mindedness, patience, and discipline—intellectual ‘virtues’ that will not only help you succeed at work, but will help you navigate a complicated world.
Critical self-reflection: Learn how to reflect on your own values, beliefs, relationships, and identity in a rigorous and productive way, while identifying—and striving to avoid—common biases and other blocks to good reasoning.

Build Bridges to Further Study

Interested in Law School? At CSUN, the Philosophy major is part of the 3+3 partnership with Southwestern, so you can get a head start while still at CSUN. And did you know that philosophy majors consistently outperform other majors on graduate entrance exams like the GRE, LSAT, MCAT, and GMAT? Whatever your path, philosophy can help you succeed as you pursue a professional degree.

Here are some of the graduate programs our Majors have enrolled in:

PhD. in Philosophy at UC—Davis, University of St Andrews (Scotland, UK), University at Buffalo (NY), University of Colorado, UC—Irvine, Temple University
M.A. in Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University, California State University, Long Beach
J.D. Program at Loyola Law School, Southwestern Law School, Brooklyn College of Law, UC-Hastings

M.A. in Sustainability (CSUN)
M.A In Yoga Studies (Loyola Marymount)
M.S in Library Science (UCLA)
M.S. in Psychology (CSUN)
M.F.A in Creative Nonfiction (Columbia University)
M.A. in Humanities (CSUN)

Make a Smart Investment

We are proud to be a low-cost major, with an average per-course materials cost (that’s the cost for textbooks, software, etc.) of under $15 (yes, we said fifteen). Philosophy majors have also been shown to outperform other graduates in salary and earning potential over the course of their careers. That’s a great return on your investment! It’s no wonder that our students have gone on to do incredible things. Here are some of the jobs held by recent CSUN Philosophy majors:

Librarian
Film producer
Museum director
Lawyer
Teacher
Novelist

Artist
Software Engineer
Philosophy Professor
Lecturer in Critical Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Harness your Power to Change the World

What else can you do with a degree in philosophy? The answer is: absolutely anything.

Department Chair