What can I do with an applied philosophy degree from Mount Mercy College?

By the time you graduate from Mount Mercy, you:

  • Will have read some of the most difficult texts that human civilization has produced
  • Will have thought deeply and carefully about some important issues and have applied that thought to real life situations
  • Will have had [his or her] YOUR logic evaluated many times
  • Will have researched and written reams
  • Will have had to speak before a crowd about difficult topics

Although this sounds like a lot of torture, this experience should signal to any employer that this philosophy major can think, read, write, and speak well. These are basic skills that surveys of employers show are in demand. You will be ready for wherever your life takes you next.

There are also career benefits from majoring in philosophy. Students gain crucial expertise in critical thinking, and find that they have an advantage in graduate school admissions tests, like the GRE and the LSAT. In fact, when law school deans were recently surveyed about what they were looking for in prospective students, English and Philosophy were named as the top two majors. Mount Mercy graduates have done quite well in law school, and have scored among the top in the country on their ethics exams. A philosophy major will also signal to a graduate school that an applicant is capable of deeply abstract and logical thought, and that she or he has broad intellectual interests.

When you graduate with a major in applied philosophy from Mount Mercy, you will have developed an ability to think critically and objectively. Graduates who major in philosophy enjoy successful careers in a wide range of fields and are well prepared to pursue a graduate degree in law, business or the liberal arts. First year graduates report salaries ranging from $15,000-30,000.

*Salaries are ranges reported by 2002 Mount Mercy College graduates.


What classes should I take to enter the program?
What will it take to graduate?
How will I gain experience?
What can I do with an applied philosophy degree from Mount Mercy College?
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