Studying Philosophy requires mastering such critical thinking skills as asking relevant and interesting questions, recognizing and evaluating arguments correctly, and defending one's own claims, both orally and through analytical writing. Studying Philosophy also requires entertaining criticism from people who do not share your assumptions, as well as presenting opposing views sympathetically. Given that the the knowledge, skills, and attitudes one acquires being a Philosophy major translate into professional success in a wide range of fields (visit our "Famous Philosophy Majors" page), there are several reasons why you should consider majoring in Philosophy at UNO:
- Being a Philosophy major at UNO pays .... literally! Through a $2M gift to the department by Mr. Carl E. Muckley, an alumnus of this program, the department will pay each major who graduates $3,000! There are additional scholarships for first-time freshmen, juniors, seniors, and post-baccalaureate majors. To find out more about the financial benefits to being a Philosophy major (or double major) at UNO, visit our "Scholarships & Awards" page.
- Philosophy is ranked #1 in majors outside of the sciences with the highest mid-career salaries ($84,000). Why? Simple: Many of the high-paying fields Philosophy majors enter require an advanced degree (Ph.D. or J.D.), people with advanced degrees make more money, and Philosophy is among the best majors for getting into a school to earn an advanced degree.
- If you want to go to graduate school, then you must do well on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Philosophy majors score higher on the verbal reasoning and analytical writing portions of the GRE than majors from any field. (They should! The discipline of Philosophy invented those skills.) The Department of Philosophy at UNO has a high success rate in placing its graduates in both M.A. programs and Ph.D. programs. (Note: A Ph.D. is the highest degree anyone can earn. The 'Ph' in 'Ph.D. stands for 'Philosophy' because Philosophy was the first academic discipline and the reason universities even exist!)
- If you are interested in going to law school, then you must do well on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Philosophy majors score higher on the LSAT than majors from any field. Logic, which is part of Philosophy, is the reason why because the use of logic is as central to the practice of Philosophy as it is to the practice of law. Not only does the Department of Philosophy at UNO offer a pre-law concentration, we have a high success rate in placing our graduates in law schools.
- If you are interested in entering an MBA program, Philosophy majors score higher on the GMAT than business majors (15% higher). The only undergraduates who score higher are mathematics majors.
- The B.A. in Philosophy at UNO can be completed online. There are only a few such Philosophy programs in the country. Hence, if you cannot attend traditional face-to-face courses at UNO, then you should consider becoming one of our online majors. For more information, visit our "Online B.A. Degree" page.
