Philosophy Careers

Primum vivere deinde philosophari. First live, then philosophize. Though you love truth, the truth is: you also need to eat—not to mention care for yourself and your loved ones, as well as (hopefully) enjoy some of the finer things in life. Is the philosophy major a good investment? According to PayScale’s annual survey of 1.4 million college graduates, philosophy and politics majors earn more than any other humanities degree through all stages of their careers. Moreover, philosophy majors outperform business majors in earning power later in their careers, and they outperform biology majors at all stages of their careers. So, on top of everything else, it turns out that a philosophy major is a great investment! 

   
 
Does a philosophy degree pay off?

bridgetInterested in grad school?

See what courses prepared Javier for law school. javier

graceLearn what Grace studied for her business career.

How did philosophy prepare Martin for medical school?
martin

What exactly can you do with a philosophy major? Or, more specifically, what exactly have UD philosophy majors done? The following are just a few of the diverse careers paths taken by our philosophy alumni.

  • Medicine
    • Daniel Fiedorek, ’12 — completing M.D. in Arkansas
    • Martin Sentmanat, ’17 — studying medicine at Texas A&M
  • Business and Finance
    • Eddie Accomando, ’92 — Principal Consultant at Anthroconsulting
    • Grace Hernandez, '17 - Assistant Broker for Burns & Wilcox Brokerage
  • Law
    • Robert Weisenburger, ’12 — completed J.D. as University of San Diego; working for Golub & Associates Law Firm in San Diego
    • Cody Combs, ’15 — studying law at UT Austin
    • Mike Woodrum, ’17 — studying law at UT Austin
  • Clergy
    • John Stein, ’16 — seminarian for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati
    • Charlie Archer, ’16 — seminarian for the Archdiocese of St. Louis
    • Connor Rhodes, ’16 — seminarian for ...
    • Four former philosophy majors are currently Cistercian monks at Our Lady of Dallas Abbey across the street from UD!
  • Academia
    • Michael Hayes, ’12 — completing Ph.D. in philosophy at Kansas
    • Juan Solares, ’12 — director of Michael Polanyi College (Guatemala)
    • Camille (Pecha) Kennedy, ’14 — completing Ph.D. in French at Rutgers, named a Lilly Graduate Fellow
    • Andrew Shafer, ’15 — completing Ph.D. in philosophy at Fordham
    • Bridget Safranek, ’17 — completing Ph.D. in philosophy at Catholic University of America, named a Lilly Graduate Fellow
  • Teaching
    • Michael Reardon, ’15 — teaching for Great Hearts Irving
  • Politics
    • Emily Wilson, ’16 — aide to U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (Kansas)

And so the real question really is: What can’t you do with a philosophy major?

News

Our Kids at Heart: The Evangelizing Power of Catholic Education

"You bring me a letter of acceptance to a Catholic school for your child, and I promise your child will attend Catholic school." This is the promise Father Mark Hamlet, BA '68 MBA '70, makes to his congregation at every Mass. The pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Austin, Hamlet has spent much of his ministry advocating for Catholic school education through his nonprofit foundation, Our Kids at Heart.

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Junior Computer Science Major Interns at Google

This past summer, Yeabkal Wubshit, BA '20, earned the internship that every computer science major dreams of: a position at Google -- and spent the summer working on infrastructures for Google Service Accounts at Google's office in Sunnyvale, California.

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Distinguished Alumni Excel in Human Endeavor

The University of Dallas will celebrate the extraordinary achievements of four alumni with its 2019 Distinguished Alumni Awards. Award recipients Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, MTS '00, Laura Felis Quinn, BS '86 MBA '18, Judy Kelly, BA '63, and John Parker, BA '83 MBA '89, will be honored for their contributions to their professions, communities and the University of Dallas.

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