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Philosophy

Major Information

Many employers today seek out liberal arts graduates who are trained in a broad set of skills including critical reasoning, problem-solving, and strong verbal and written communication.  The Philosophy major emphasizes the development of these skills, training students to think through complex issues with clarity and understanding, and to approach them with independent reasoning.  Philosophy also provides a well-rounded education with depth in the classics of civilization, an analysis of the most important ideas throughout our history, as well as contemporary issues in science, ethics, and politics.  In this way, Philosophy prepares students for a wide range of careers.  Nationally, Philosophy is the most common major for students who plan to attend Law School, and of all the liberal arts majors, Philosophy majors have the highest average scores on the LSAT and GRE graduate entrance exams.  At GSU, we have seen our Philosophy majors go on to successful careers as public defenders, lawyers, doctors, nurse anesthetists, teachers, professors, clergy, and business professionals.  

General Information

Degree(s) Offered:

  • Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

Sample Occupations

*Requires additional education

  • Administrative Official/ Government Service
  • Anthropological Linguist
  • Archivist
  • Biographer
  • Book Critic
  • Foreign Service Officer
  • Genealogist
  • Immigration Inspector
  • International Relations Specialist
  • Intelligence Specialist
  • Lawyer
  • College/ University official
  • Cryptanalyst
  • Columnist/ Commentator
  • Director of Institutional Research
  • Editor of a Publication
  • Essayist
  • Foreign Correspondent
  • Psychologist
  • Public Relations Representative
  • Social Worker
  • Training Instructor
  • Writer/ Poet
  • Bioethics/ Business Ethics
  • Mediator
  • Philosophical Counselors
  • Technical Writer/ Author
  • Marketing Research Analyst
  • Clergy Member

Sample Work Settings

  • Archives/ Federal, Municipal
  • Bookstores/ Libraries
  • Business Corporations
  • Churches and Religious Organizations
  • Foundations, Non-profit
  • Industries/ Manufacturing
  • Learned periodicals
  • Magazines and Newspapers
  • Public Relations Firms
  • Research Institutions
  • Social Services Agencies
  • Travel Agencies
  • Government Agencies
  • Civil Rights Commission
  • Consumer Affairs Office
  • Education Department 
  • Foreign Service
  • Library of Congress
  • National Archives
  • Museums
  • Public Interest Research Groups 
  • Colleges and Universities
  • Adult Education Programs
  • Insurance Companies
  • Political Organizations
  • Consulting Services
  • Publishing Agencies
  • Travel Agencies
  • Professional/ Trade Associations
  • Advertising Agencies/ Departments

Sample Employers

  • U.S. Attorney’s Office (law clerk)
  • Harris County District Attorney’s Office
  • Office of the State Attorney
  • Kilburn Law Firm (Oil and Gas Attorney)
  • DistributionNow (corporate counsel)
  • Advocates for Youth
  • Georgia Southern University (Prof.)
  • City Year
  • DC Department of Health
  • Federal Aviation Administration
  • Layer 3 Communications
  • Georgia Bureau of Investigations
  • New York City Department of Education
  • Peace Corps
  • University of Florida
  • SunTrust Investment Services
  • Abacus Data Systems
  • Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks Baseball
  • Sunrun

Connecting Majors, Skills, and Occupations

  • View learning outcomes associated with your major in the Georgia Southern Academic Catalog:

Georgia Southern Academic Catalog

  • Explore the connection between occupations and skills in O*Net:

www.onetonline.org

  • Use Handshake to upload your résumé and explore internships and jobs. For more information:

www.georgiasouthern.edu/ocpd

Internet Resources

To explore values, interests, and skills:

FOCUS 2 bit.ly/focuscareer

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) – $15

Self Directed Search – $15

http://students.georgiasouthern.edu/career/s tudents/assessments/

To explore occupational outlooks and salaries:

National Compensation Survey

www.bls.gov/ncs/

National Association of College and Employers  (NACE) 

http://www.naceweb.org/salary resources/index.aspx 

Professional Organizations

Society for Philosophy & Psychology

www.socphilpsych.org

American Association of Philosophy Teachers

www.philosophyteachers.org

Georgia Southern Student Organizations

  • Philosophical Society  
  • Phi Sigma Tau

Last updated: 7/1/2013