Graduate Career Ready with Philosophy
Put your Philosophy degree to work pursuing a career that interests and challenges you. Philosophy majors continuously cultivate critical thinking and problem-solving skills while exploring big questions about reality, knowledge, and value. Philosophy majors learn to ask complex questions and how to research and contextualize information, producing sharp, insightful analyses.
Philosophy majors show the kind of deep understanding and curiosity that is required for clear-sighted, problem-solving analyses of our past and present to create a better future. Perhaps most important of all, Philosophy majors are educated beyond a narrow curriculum geared towards a specific job; instead, they acquire the ability to remain intellectually flexible and to transfer their skills across career opportunities and environments.
Explore the ways to use your Philosophy education during a career conversation with the Center for Career Readiness.
Interested in finding out more about what you can do with a Philosophy degree? This list from the American Philosophical Association breaks down some of the most prominent and influential individuals to have ever studied Philosophy.
Philosophy at Work
UNC Philosophy graduates pursue careers in companies and organizations around the country. Among our alumni, you will see many working in these industries:
- K-12 Education
- Higher Education
- Government Administration
- Nonprofits
UNC Alumni Careers
Using their Philosophy degree, UNC alumni go on to successful careers in a variety of interesting and in-demand professions. Learn more about the popular professions these and other alumni are pursuing.
Office and Administrative Support
Alumni working in office and administrative support professions use their transferrable skills to cross over many industries in positions that range from clerical to customer service.
Education
While many alumni working in education-related roles may be teachers, several others use their degree and training in an educational services roles like instructional design.
Management and Operations
UNC alumni are prepared to serve in leadership and operational management roles within non profit organizations, educational institutions and private and publicly held companies.
On Demand Resources and Support
Access recorded alumni career panels and LinkedIn tutorials to strengthen your network and professional connections to the UNC Bear Network.
Alumni Spotlight
I'm a Bear: Danny Medoff's story as a UNC Bear was featured in the Spring 2019 edition of UNC Magazine. Check out the full article here.
Danny Medoff '18
Initially, as a student at Seattle Central College, Danny Medoff enrolled in the philosophy program because it offered the flexibility he would need to take the courses to get into physician's assistant school, but as he continued in the philosophy program, Medoff was hooked and wanted to see where philosophy could take him. Medoff transferred to UNC and found a stable place to cultivate his abilility to think more productively, which in turn helped him be more friendly, courageous, open-minded and resilient. Philosophy helped Medoff understand that there are multiple productive perspectives from which to think and work through each moment, which has helped him to overcome feelings of anxiety and depression.
An Army veteran, honorably discharged in 2013, Medoff worked at UNC Veterans Services and was able to develop collaboratively. In 2017 Medoff worked with other students to start the Philosophy Club here at UNC, while also serving on Student Senate. Through the skills and connections he developed at UNC, Medoff started UNC's Philosophical Kevlar Club for military veterans to provide other veterans the space to explore their experiences and the idea of "moral injury" which refers to the internal suffering resulting from acting against moral codes, in a judgement-free space.
Philosophy Alumni: Update your career information through the alumni association.
