Letter to Prospectives
From: The Board of Officers of the American Philosophical Association
Re: Graduate Study in Philosophy and Employment Prospects
On behalf of the American Philosophical Association, we welcome your interest in continuing your philosophical education by pursuing a graduate degree.
There are many good reasons for continuing the study of philosophy beyond the undergraduate level. It can be intrinsically rewarding, and some simply wish topursue it further for its own sake. Others are interested in its bearing upon related areas in the humanities, arts, sciences and professions. many are attracted by theprospects of academic careers as philosophy teachers in colleges or universities. Advanced degree programs can also provide a solid foundation for careers in a variety of other areas, and for further graduate study in their disciplines and professions.
It is important for you to have a realistic appreciation of the career opportunities to which such study may lead, and to take this into account in making your decision.
We are convinced that for those who have discovered in themselves a love
of philosophy, and who have the motivation and ability to pursue an extended
and demanding program of advanced study, there is much to be said in favor
of graduate work in philosophy today.
Academic Careers
Teaching at a university or college is the long-term academic goal of
most philosophy graduate students today, and approximately 80% of those
who hold pH.D.'s in philosophy are employed in higher education. The academic
job market has been tight during the past 20 years, and budget cutbacks
in recent years have affected colleges and universities throughout the
country. Faced with severe budget constraints, some institutions respond
even to increasing enrollments and retirement not by
hiring new faculty but simply by increasing class size and adopting other
such expedients. In philosophy as in many other disciplines, there are
at present substantially more candidates seeking academic positions than
there are positions available.
On the other hand, a study by William Bowen and Julie Ann Sosa (Prospects
for Faculty in the Arts and Sciences: A Study of the Factors Affecting
Demand and Supply, 1987 to 2010, Princeton University Press, 1989) projects
that the recent oversupply of qualified faculty in the social sciences
and humanities will become a severe undersupply by the turn of the century,
with approximately 20 percent more positions open than candidates to fill
them by 1997 to 2002. They further observe that the shortage is likely
to be largest not in applied or professional fields but in the core disciplines
of the liberal arts. While their analysis is not
applied specifically to academic positions in philosophy, it is reasonable
to expect that demand for teachers of philosophy will be affected by he
same larger trends in a similar way. There thus are reasons for cautious
optimism about future academic employment opportunities in our discipline
as well as reasons for concern.
Non-Academic Careers
The skills and training one receives as a philosophy graduate student are valuable in many other careers in addition to college and university teaching. A graduate degree in philosophy can also be evidence to prospective employers that one is capable of creative and analytical thinking, and is proficient in research, reasoning, problem-solving, and verbal and written communication. Among the fields to which philosophers have successfully transferred their philosophic backgrounds and skills are teaching at the pre-college level, educational administration, computer technology, law, medicine, business journalism, publishing, management,government, and administration of non-profit organizations. The range of non-academic careers for which graduate study in philosophy is valuable preparation is rich and diverse.
Further Information
As you approach the completion of your graduate studies, you will want
to obtain specific and current information about changes in employment
opportunities.Placement offices and faculty members at graduate departments
can provide helpful information. Periodical such as The Chronicle of Higher
Education and Change magazine publish articles on academic employment
trends. You can also obtain additional information about employment prospects
in philosophy by writing to the APA national office. Careers for Philosophers,
a booklet available through the APA, describes some non-academic careers
in which philosophers have
found success.