Best Colleges for Philosophy

Are you someone who is comfortable “living in the gray,” where sometimes no right or wrong answers exist? If so, philosophy may just be an ideal major you. While parents may bristle at the ideal of paying six-figures for a philosophy degree, those who pursue this path typically emerge with standout skills in the areas of writing, comprehension of complex texts, problem-solving, formulating logical arguments, and analyzing complicated situations. It’s no wonder that many who study in this field go on to become lawyers, professors, researchers, consultants, diplomats, ministers, and journalists. As you can see from our list of the Best Colleges for Philosophy, many of the premier programs can be found at highly-selective colleges including many Ivies and elite liberal arts colleges.

Click the links below for more information about each college’s philosophy program. Click here to read our methodology.

Amherst College

Bates College

Boston College

Boston University

Brown University

Carleton College

Claremont McKenna College

Colby College

Columbia University

Cornell University

Dartmouth College

Duke University

Emory University

Georgetown University

Hamilton College

Harvard University

Haverford College

Macalester College

New York University

Northwestern University

Oberlin College

Princeton University

Rice University

Rutgers University

Smith College

Stanford University

Tufts University

University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Los Angeles

University of California, Santa Barbara

University of Chicago

University of Michigan

University of Notre Dame

University of Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh

University of Southern California

University of Texas at Austin

University of Washington

Vanderbilt University

Williams College

Yale University