Are you looking to enter an undergraduate or graduate program?

I personally do not know the answer to your question but I googled for information and maybe you will find the information you want here....
https://www.google.com/search?q=what+is+required+for+a+degree+in+philosophy&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS926US926&oq=what+is+required+for+a+degree+in+philosophy&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i22i30j0i390l2.12282j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

However, speaking particularly about degrees in philosophy, in what aspects has philosophy become harder since the ancients? — Shawn

In general it has become more narrow and specialized. This can come at the cost of a loss of depth and scope, and so, a failure to understand not only the ancients, but can act as blinders preventing you from seeing the bigger picture, questions, and problems.

I like Arthur Koestler's definition: "the systematic abuse of a terminology specially invented for that purpose."

Much depends on the department's program and who you have the fortune or misfortune to study with. Some departments are more pluralistic than others, giving you more opportunity to find a match with your interests.

What are your thoughts about where to branch out once invested in philosophy as a degree? — Shawn

To what end? A teaching job? The outlook is bleak.The pursuit of knowledge? Then let your interests lead you to where they take you.

You might want to hear from my experiences. I have a master's in philosophy. You know what I do years later? I program.

First, do not go into philosophy as a field if you merely "like it". If you like reading philosophy, you are a fan. A fan is not a career. Can you think of new philosophy? Can you constantly write papers at extremely high quality to ensure you don't get fired? Are you willing to get a Phd, work at a pauper's salary for years until you MIGHT get that lucky teaching job halfway across the country for a tradesman's salary?

I say this, because many people go into the field thinking its "easy". It is NOT easy. It is not about being a fan of philosophy. It is about being a person who loves to think on philosophical subjects, even at personal financial detriment. Even when the prospect for failure is high.

Once you get to the master's/ Phd level, you will begin to realize how stilted the field also is. You will be forced to read and write on people who have been disproven for years. You will be discouraged to write your own philosophy. You will be forced to tie it to ancient writings that no longer apply to today's world. It is a very traditional field, and unwelcoming to thought's that are generate purely on your own.

You may here many people say, "Do what you love as a career." That is absolute horse manure stated by people who are financially successful or at the top of their career after years of work and luck. It ignores the mountain of bodies behind those people who could not make it and would have had a MUCH better life if they had picked a career based on things like "Demand in the marketplace, career prospects, salary, quality of life, etc."

Only go into philosophy if it is a passion. If you write philosophy on your own for hours at a time, eager to think about the problems that people have not solved for centuries. Eager to be your own worst critic, and is NOT impressed by your own cleverness or intelligence. Be honest with yourself, and make sure you're not considering at "fun" or an "easy out". You know yourself.

And finally, if you think, "Well I don't need to be outstanding, I can just be mediocre or slightly above average", you will not succeed. There are plenty of jobs you can be mediocre in or slightly above average and live well. Philosophy is not one of them.

I can only echo this. I went to undergrad before neuroscience was a common major, so I got degrees in biology and psychology. I graduated summa cum laude in just three years, which, in the economy of the Great Recession, qualified me to walk dogs and work as a fry cook for a year. When I finally got a research job it paid $13.50, in Manhattan, so effectively living on minimum wage once cost of living was adjusted for. I used to see posting for visa positions: masters required, but a PhD would be good, publications, research experience, and a salary of $18 an hour for locales like Boston or San Francisco. Obviously the visas weren't about lack of degrees and training, which were overproduced, but about employers having employees they have absolute leverage over.

Pure research fields are extremely difficult, even STEM ones.

I had a similar vision of the field as the economy began to recover and I started graduate school. The advice I got from tenured professors when considering a PhD was not to consider it unless I got into one of the five or so most selective programs. Given the market, getting a job would be difficult otherwise (and even still with the pedigree). I taught sections as one of the top ten most selective schools in the nation and adjuncts made about $18 an hour. The reward was the university name on your resume.

Which is all to say, study what you enjoy but pick up practical skills. Area knowledge doesn't have a premium. This is probably harder for philosophy, but for social sciences at least you can invest time into learning R and Stata. Knowing the principals of statistics is also not marketable. Being able to code R, Python, and DAX is. Learn a SQL query language too. Or aside from coding, one of the State Department critical languages. The most marketable stuff I got out of grad school was connections, coding skills, and Arabic. The fancy name on the resume and content area knowledge isn't all that useful, after all, you can pick that up with a library card.

The problem is that the mostly Baby Boomer professors have no idea how the modern job market works or that their value largely has to do with the stickiness of wages and are terrible at advising on this sort of thing.

Depends on which field you want to go in. Most analytic philosophy, if not a good part of it, is rather technical focusing often on extremely narrow topics. There are exceptions of course and there are other traditions you could follow.

I personally had to take classes belonging to the European phenomenological tradition, though not much Husserl, more so Michel Henry and Patojka and a few others I forgot, plus some of the classics.

I ended up doing my own thing, that is, I did my work for each class, but for research and projects, I already found interesting people not belonging to the mainstream. So in the end it will boil down to what attracts you and how much freedom you are given to pursue your own interests, given that you don't like any of the established schools already.

Are you looking to enter an undergraduate or graduate program? — Artemis

Undergrad. But, potentially more once completed.

To what end? A teaching job? The outlook is bleak.The pursuit of knowledge? Then let your interests lead you to where they take you. — Fooloso4

I'm concerned about the issue of finding a teaching job after studying enough philosophy. I hear it's difficult nowadays. Why is this so?



Thanks for the reality check. I've heard this countless times before when I asked the question over at the old forum. Seems nothing new has changed. Humdrum.



I see. So, it's hopeless.

When I can't solve a puzzle, I can't tell whether the puzzle is difficult or I'm stupid!

I can't tell whether the puzzle is difficult or I'm stupid! — TheMadFool

Why can't it be both? :razz:

Why can't it be both? :razz: — Tom Storm

C'mon, you can't expect me to do everything! :joke:

Undergrad. But, potentially more once completed. — Shawn

Good! That opens things up a bit.

If you're generally looking to get a degree, I would strongly recommend double majoring. My favorite philosophy prof advertised the idea to me as "You get one degree for yourself, and one for your parents." By parents he just meant, something practical that has more specific job paths associated with it. Our undergrad program was about 90% dual majors. People got a philosophy degree alongside one in English, Psychology, Biology, etc.

The benefits are:
-Two majors for the price of one!
-Take classes you enjoy!
-More open doors: you can then persue a career or higher ed in EITHER degree.
-The philosophy part of your resume will make you stand out, both in itself and due to the skills you aquire in a phil program.

People say a phil degree has no or very little pragmatic value for getting a job. I haven't persued a career in philosophy myself, and yet twice I've been outright told that I got an interview and job offer because of that background, and many other times I have gotten a job offer or promotion based on skills I can directly trace to my philosophy degree.

And ALL of these are points I'm making aside from my more fundamental belief: a philosophy degree has immeasurable personal value.

I wouldn't say hopeless, those jobs do exist, they are just hard to come by. It's easier if you aren't picky about where you live and can move anywhere in the country.

I always liked teaching. Nowadays, more and more programs hire teachers with professional experience so I figure I'll try to pivot to that once I've had more time in the professional sphere. They do generally want people from management positions (e.g. city managers for public policy, business owners for business, etc.), so the bar is still high but there are more ways to meet it.

Community college is an overlooked option. I got approached for a teaching position in economics there, which only requires graduate work, not a PhD, but I just left government for a start up and the hours balloon too often to make it feasible. But, particularly in rural areas, they have a hard time filling those. I would expect demand goes up as plans for cheap or free CC get implemented, so it's a growing field in a way traditional university positions are not.

I'm concerned about the issue of finding a teaching job after studying enough philosophy. I hear it's difficult nowadays. Why is this so? — Shawn

There are far more PhDs awarded each year than there are positions available. In addition, the practice of hiring adjuncts (aka academic migrant workers) has significantly increased. Adjuncts are paid a small amount per course, have no benefits, and no assurance that their contract will be renewed. Someone teaching the equivalent of a full-time course load will not earn enough to live above the poverty level.

According to the American Philosophical Association there is a 29% chance that a student entering a doctoral program in philosophy will obtain a permanent, full time position. (https://www.apaonline.org/members/group_content_view.asp?group=110435&id=918649)

A touch of humor from Quora Digest a few days ago, apparently a joke that's been around for awhile in academia: The dean, when asked for funding for the physics department which requested a new particle accelerator and other expensive equipment said, "Why don't you guys do like the math department and ask for a pen, sheets of blank paper, and a wastebasket? Or. better yet, like the philosophy department that asked only for a few sheets of blank paper and a wastebasket?" :cool:

I got my union card in math in 1971 and was fortunate to get hired in a developing department in a state college that was beginning to grow to becoming a branch of the state university. The job suited me, not requiring research but rewarding it when it was done. Full professor in less than a decade, and a short stint as department chair.

I cannot imagine such opportunities exist today. My timing was very fortunate. I am saddened to know that young academics have so few paths available.

no idea how the modern job market works — Count Timothy von Icarus

It's an old joke but still relevant. Q: What's the question most frequently asked by philosophers? A: "Would you like fries with that?"

From my own experience, a complete novice, just beginning to learn the ropes, exposed only to dumbed-down versions of philosophical issues, philosophy seems like a walk in the park but as we dive deeper into the Socratic pool, we begin to realize, we get a feel of, how complex/complicated the subject really is. Dunning-Kruger effect!

A degree, any degree, informs your potential employer that you can dedicate yourself to something longterm. If you do a degree then it means you’re generally more likely to commit to their company rather than quit job after a year or two.

If you wish to become a teacher then a degree in teaching is the way to go. Teaching is a viable career but you’re better off teaching abroad if you’re from the west (in middle east or asia).

I would also recommend doing some actual work teaching (volunteering if necessary) to see if you actually enjoy teaching. Plus there is the question of what level you prefer to teach at. Some like to teach kids and others prefer young adults (often it’s one or the other). Teaching kinds generally pays less for some reason.

If you wish to teach at university level then you’re probably best off starting out for smaller (and probably foreign) institutions as there will be more opportunities for you there. Online teaching certainly something you should start right now if you want to teach as you can do it in some capacity right away.