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Career Paths in Philosophy

Philosophy is not just ‘any old’ subject at university. It is one of the oldest and most fundamental systematic enquiries into that which transcends humanity itself. As a form of friendship or love (‘philos’) for wisdom (‘sophos’), it forms the foundation of all scholarship, with close links to all other humanities and social sciences, including law, and a significant connection to the natural sciences, including medicine and psychology. Career opportunities in the field of philosophy can therefore be found in the social sciences and history, but also – in the context of ethics – in the natural sciences.

For many of these career paths, a Bachelor’s degree alone is not sufficient! In addition, a Master’s degree, specific professional training and further education, a PhD, practical experience or key competencies may be required. It is therefore best to find out early on about the requirements of the career fields in which you are interested. Ethos, Logos, Nomos. What are values and where do they come from? How do we reason in a sound, correct and comprehensible manner? And how can we derive broader contexts from this, of a more general nature, which enables us to formulate a law?

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A degree in philosophy does not lead to a specific job title, but philosophers are craftspeople, technicians and Masters of thought and knowledge. They are the specialists in ‘before, within, behind and beyond’. But their wisdom also lies in the realization that we cannot know everything, and that not every assumption is correct simply because we have always held it to be so. Philosophers are fundamental researchers of analysis, reflection and criticism. They are experts in systematic, structured thinking.

Even Bachelor’s graduates are asked what they make of this or that; the Master’s degree provides the opportunity to argue why we should remain true to our values and goals. And doctoral graduates are often to be found in the very places where decisions are made about which values and goals, we wish to adopt for our actions.

It is therefore ‘worthwhile’ – as is probably the case in any humanities discipline – to pursue advanced degrees; whether it ‘pays off’ is another matter entirely. Equally, students and graduates of philosophy may well look at the professional fields of other disciplines to which their subject ‘feeds’. This strategy is likely to prove successful by acquiring the methods of the relevant discipline with which there is an ‘inner connection’. It is not uncommon for this to lead to a second degree if the dual-track strategy is not chosen right from the start. Graduates with a Master’s in Philosophy and a solid grounding in physics have a good foundation for pursuing a career path in, for example, technology assessment.

Note: The information used to compile the above list is based on information provided by the BERUFENET of the German Federal Employment Agency and surveys conducted with graduates of Marburg University. We would like to thank Edgar Losse from the Marburg branch of the Federal Employment Agency for the suggestions and support.