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What can I do with a degree in Philosophy?

From the point of view of graduate recruiters, philosophy is well known and well regarded as a subject, so the range of opportunities is very wide. Recent graduates have progressed into research, consultancy, marketing, local government, human resources, construction management, the IT industry, public relations and the arts.

Given that 94% of all Warwick Graduates end up in either employment or further study, and that 70% of graduate recruiters do not require graduates having a specific degree, perhaps the most important question to ask is not 'What degree will get me a good graduate job?' but 'How can I make the most of my time at Warwick so that I can get the job I want?'

Employers tell us that they like philosophy students because they can:

  • Formulate complex problems
  • Articulate clearly the underlying and complex issues of debates
  • Analyse
  • Pay attention to detail
  • Think clearly in the abstract and construct sound arguments
  • Consider social and ethical issues in a structured way
  • Find and articulate evidence of their skills more effectively than many students
  • Be rigorously logical
  • Influence ideas and decisions
Examples of recent Philosophy graduates’ careers include:
  • Policy Development Associate at Civil Aviation Authority
  • Journalist and Interviews Producer for Sky News
  • Pupil Barrister Specialising in Criminal Law
  • Freelance Theatre and Film Producer
  • Assistant Professor in Philosophy
Examples of recent Philosophy graduates’ careers include:

News Writer, Travel Programme Consultant, Fashion Buying Assistant, Wealth Manager Assistant, Chartered Accountant, Secondary School Teacher, Librarian, Charity Volunteer Coordinator, Fundraising Assistant, Youth Worker, Junior Web Editor, Healthcare Assistant, Commercial Banking Strategy Associate, Sales and Marketing Administrator, Private Equity Analyst, Data Analyst, EU Exit Advisor, Assistant Event Director, TV Researcher, Partnership Manager, Management Consultant, HR Associate, Project Manager.

Companies and organisations where Philosophy graduates work include:

Accenture, Lloyds Bank, Deloitte, PwC, Bank of England, London School of Economics, BBC, Sky News, Waterstones, Verso, Transport for London, Natural History Museum, Teach First, British Council, British Army, Royal Bank of Canada, House of Fraser, Dogs Trust, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, HMRC.

Philosophy graduates go onto the following Masters Programmes:

Continental Philosophy, Economics, Global Governance and Diplomacy, International Technology Management, International Development, Public Policy, Global Health, Magazine Journalism, Political Economy of Europe. They can study this programme at Warwick or other leading universities in the UK, Europe, North America and throughout the world.

For more information, visit Warwick Student Careers & Skills.

You can also read more about how to prepare for the job market and get tips for interviews, improving your CV, and application guidance through the Warwick Careers Blog.

Alumni profile

Louis Longin

Reading, writing and thinking are presumably things you are familiar with. However, studying philosophy, especially at Warwick, teaches you how read, write and think in a more concise and critical way. Engaging with old and highly complex philosophical texts teaches you to focus on what is relevant and grasp the meaning of each word. Formulating your own ideas within a limited amount of words teaches you precise argumentative reasoning, whereas expressing these thoughts in a small classroom environment requires you to think quickly and with an open mind.

Along with the academic challenges of discussing complex, philosophical text and developing your own ideas, Warwick helped me prepare for my professional life with multiple career events, showing me how many things are possible with a Philosophy degree.

I am now doing a M.A. in Philosophy at the Ludwig-Maximillians-Universität (LMU) in Munich, Germany, while also working as a student assistant at the German Neuroinformatics Node (G-Node).

- Louis Longin, BA Philosophy (2017)