Why Philosophy Makes Good Sense:
The New York Times business section (Dec. 26, 1997) carried an article about how the philosophy degree pays off in life and in work. "In an age of M.B.A.s and computer scientists, more than 4,000 American college students graduate each year with a bachelor's degree in the ancient discipline. Sometimes their parents and friends wonder what will happen to them. One thing is certain: Not many of them will go on to make a living as philosophers. Yet philosophy majors appear to do remarkably well. Their professional success may stem from the fact that philosophy students seem more likely than those with other degrees to attend graduate or professional school."

Hollins University

• On the GRE/Analytical, Philosophers are the only one to rise about 5.0 -- for a mean of 5.1the highest of all majors recorded.
• On the GRE/Verbal, Philosophers come in at a mean of 589 the top score on the Verbal 30 points higher than English at second top.
• On the GRE/Quantitative, Philosopher's come in 12th at 636, toped only by Engineering, Economics/banking, and Computer Science.

Guide to the Use of GRE Scores 2005-2006

The Value of Philosophy
On just about everybody's list of hot skills are communication and analysis. So who has those skills? How about philosophy majors? Philosophy majors who took the Graduate Record Examination between 1990 and 1993 finished first among all fields in verbal skills, the American Philosophical Association notes. "This research confirms that training in critical and creative inquiry -- philosophical training -- is valuable not only for personal development but also for academic and career success," says Eric Hoffman, executive director of the Association.

Washington State University/Wall Street Journal

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