Links for Undergraduates
Find our programs of study, past courses offered, undergraduate resources below.
Why Study Philosophy?
Philosophy Pays
Philosophy prepares you for the kind of rigorous thinking and critical analysis used in a wide variety of fields. You might be surprised at how well the average mid-career salaries of philosophy majors compare to those of other popular majors. Philosophy majors rank 16th out of the top 50 undergraduate majors for mid-career median salary.
Philosophy is Interesting
A better reason to study philosophy is that you’ll love it. Philosophy asks some of the biggest questions that have ever been asked. A few of the central questions include the following.
- Ethics. What is the nature of the good, and how should we act?
- Metaphysics. What is the nature of reality? Does God exist, or free will, or a mind-independent world?
- Epistemology. What is knowledge, and what distinguishes it from mere belief or opinion?
- Language. How is it that language expresses meaning? How is it that language comes to refer to the world?
- Politics and Law. How should society be organized? What is the nature and aim of law?
- Science. What is science, and what makes it successful? What concepts and methods make science work?
Versions of some of these questions have been investigated for thousands of years. Yet there is an unmistakable sense of progress on these questions, especially in the 20th century, and the investigation continues today.
Philosophy is Great Preparation…
… For Law School
| LSAT Scores by Top 15 Majors, 2018 | |
| Mathematics | 162.8 |
| Classics | 160.3 |
| Business & Management | 159 |
| Policy Studies | 158.9 |
| Economics | 158.9 |
| Electrical Engineering | 158.8 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 158 |
| Biology | 157.8 |
| Art History | 157.4 |
| International Studies | 157.3 |
| Foreign Languages | 157.3 |
| Literature | 157.3 |
| Philosophy | 157.2 |
| Government/Service | 157.2 |
| International Relations | 156.7 |
The most common entry exam for law school in the United States is the LSAT. Philosophy majors are amongst the top scorers on the LSAT compared to other majors, according to recent studies.
A philosophy major has long been recognized to provide a solid background in some of the most important skills required for law school, including analytic and problem-solving skills, critical reading ability, and clear research and writing skills.
The USC School of Philosophy is a particularly strong choice for prospective law school students, in offering a special interdisciplinary Major in Philosophy, Politics & Law. This program is designed (i) to foster an understanding and appreciation of some of the major milestones in the history of Western thought, (ii) to introduce students to leading approaches to ethical, legal, and political problems, and (iii) to acquaint them with one or more broad area of philosophical thought that bears on these issues.
… For Graduate School
Most graduate programs require prospective students to take the GRE entry exam. Philosophy majors consistently score higher than all other majors on the verbal (160) and analytic writing portions (4.3) of the GRE, and tend to score extremely high (154) on the quantitative portion as well.
… For Business School
Students who wish to pursue an MBA must first take the GMAT entry exam. Want a strong score? Philosophy is among the 5 best majors for GMAT scores, consistently scoring higher than any business major. If you’re thinking about a business major, you may wish to consider philosophy as well. You would be in good company: Sheila Blair, Carly Fiorina, Larry Sanger, George Soros, and Peter Thiel are just a few of the prominent business people who hold degrees in philosophy.