by our College Data Analytics TeamIn the latest year, 20 U.S. colleges awarded 175 degrees and certificates in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. Bachelor’s degrees are the most popular award, at 90% of graduates. College Factual ranks 5 schools in its 2027 Best Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Schools ranking and compares their cost in a Best Value ranking. Its 15 related occupations pay an average median salary of $92,068 a year.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; BLS; O*NET; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
In the U.S., philosophy, politics, and economics is a widely-pursued major, with 175 degrees awarded annually. 20 colleges award philosophy, politics, and economics degrees, an average of 9 graduates per school; the largest program awarded 36.
By level, the 175 awards include 9 associate degrees, 157 bachelor’s degrees and 9 master’s degrees.
Women earned 41% of philosophy, politics, and economics degrees and certificates in the latest year (71 of 175). The largest groups of graduates by race and ethnicity are White (110) and Hispanic or Latino (17), and international students earned 5.
College Factual ranks 5 schools in its 2027 Best Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Schools ranking, including 5 for bachelor’s degrees. It also ranks philosophy, politics, and economics schools within 3 states. In all, 20 colleges offer philosophy, politics, and economics programs; compare them by degree level below or in the Best Value Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Colleges ranking, which weighs quality against cost.
The most common philosophy, politics, and economics credential is the bachelor’s degree: 157 of the 175 awarded in the latest year. Jobs related to philosophy, politics, and economics call most for Speaking, Reading Comprehension and Active Listening, and for knowledge of English Language, Education and Training and Law and Government, according to O*NET. The most important abilities are Written Comprehension, Oral Expression and Oral Comprehension.
Top skills, rated 0–5:
Top knowledge areas, rated 0–5:
How long a philosophy, politics, and economics degree takes:
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 2 years | 9 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 157 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 9 |
Doctoral degree is the most common level of education among workers in jobs related to philosophy, politics, and economics, at 64.9%.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Doctoral degree | 64.9% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 15.0% |
| Master’s degree | 8.7% |
| Post-doctoral training | 2.9% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 2.2% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 1.9% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 1.7% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 1.1% |
| Some college courses | 0.8% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 0.7% |
Source: O*NET Online.
15 occupations are related to Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, with an average median salary of $92,068; the strongest outlook belongs to Compliance Managers, at 13.0% projected job growth. Typical job titles include College Professor, Assistant Professor, University Faculty Member and Adjunct Professor.
The occupation related to philosophy, politics, and economics with the most projected jobs is Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary, at 1,638,816.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,638,816 | 11.6% |
| Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,031,835 | 3.7% |
| Economics Teachers, Postsecondary | 830,747 | 2.9% |
| Managers, All Other | 468,025 | 6.2% |
| Compliance Managers | 310,203 | 13.0% |
| Loss Prevention Managers | 265,210 | 2.2% |
| Regulatory Affairs Managers | 206,415 | 9.9% |
| Political Scientists | 202,741 | 5.4% |
The highest-paying occupation related to philosophy, politics, and economics is Wind Energy Development Managers, with a median salary of $169,952.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Wind Energy Development Managers | $169,952 |
| Loss Prevention Managers | $165,723 |
| Wind Energy Operations Managers | $122,567 |
| Compliance Managers | $117,178 |
| Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers | $99,321 |
| Managers, All Other | $95,684 |
| Environmental Economists | $86,726 |
| Regulatory Affairs Managers | $77,828 |
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics includes 1 concentration; by graduates, the largest is Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (175). It has 48 similar majors in the Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies field, which together award 150,247 degrees a year; the largest are Biological and Physical Sciences (29,811), Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (29,665) and Data Analytics (17,572). Browse all Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies majors or the full list of college majors.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Philosophy, Politics, and Economics | 175 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 29,811 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 29,665 |
| Data Analytics | 17,572 |
| Data Science | 11,772 |
| MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES | 11,175 |
| Behavioral Sciences | 6,906 |
| International/Globalization Studies | 5,644 |
| Nutrition Sciences | 5,569 |
| Sustainability Studies | 4,567 |
| Cognitive Science | 3,911 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
