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2024 Best Philosophy Schools in the Great Lakes Region

11 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
1,386 Philosophy Degrees Awarded
$27,875 Avg Early-Career Salary
Philosophy is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #83 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 11 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for philosophy students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,386 degrees in philosophy during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Philosophy School

Best Philosophy Schools in the Great Lakes Region The philosophy program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Philosophy rankings. For our Best Overall Philosophy School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Philosophy Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Philosophy
Bachelor's Degrees in Philosophy
Master's Degrees in Philosophy
Doctor's Degrees in Philosophy

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Philosophy Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Philosophy in the Great Lakes Region

The schools below may not offer all types of philosophy degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Philosophy

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
71 Philosophy Degrees Awarded
$28,698 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in philosophy has to look into University of Chicago. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 71 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, philosophy degree recipients typically make about $28,698 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in philosophy from University of Chicago

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
73 Philosophy Degrees Awarded
15.1% Growth in Graduates

University of Wisconsin - Madison is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in philosophy. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were roughly 73 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available. Philosophy degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison receive an earnings boost of approximately $7,843 above the average earnings of philosophy majors.

More information about a degree in philosophy from University of Wisconsin - Madison

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Philosophy Degrees Awarded
20.8% Growth in Graduates

University of Notre Dame is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in philosophy. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were about 48 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, philosophy degree recipients generally earn around $23,992 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in philosophy from University of Notre Dame

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$22,831 Median Starting Salary
$16,590 Median Student Debt

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in philosophy. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 27 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the philosophy program make around $22,831 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in philosophy from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Philosophy Degrees Awarded
$30,105 Median Starting Salary

Ohio State is a very large public university located in the city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were about 31 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the philosophy program at Ohio State University - Main Campus get $2,231 above the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in philosophy from Ohio State University - Main Campus

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$34,581 Median Starting Salary
$25,562 Median Student Debt

Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Wheaton. This college ranks 11th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 16 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Wheaton College Illinois in the most recent data year. Those philosophy students who get their degree from Wheaton College Illinois earn $6,707 more than the typical philosophy student.

More information about a degree in philosophy from Wheaton College Illinois

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Philosophy Degrees Awarded
26.2% Growth in Graduates

Franciscan U is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Steubenville. This university ranks 29th out of 96 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were roughly 42 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Franciscan U in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the philosophy program state that they receive average early career income of $26,960.

More information about a degree in philosophy from Franciscan University of Steubenville

8
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$29,611 Median Starting Salary
$28,696 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 23 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the philosophy program make about $29,611 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in philosophy from DePaul University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In WI
31.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Milwaukee, UWM is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 19th out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were approximately 22 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UWM in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in philosophy from University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$22,671 Median Starting Salary

GVSU is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Allendale. This university ranks 9th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were about 14 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at GVSU in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, philosophy degree recipients generally make an average of $22,671 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in philosophy from Grand Valley State University

Best Philosophy Colleges by State

Explore the best philosophy schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 262
Ohio 314 314
Illinois 304 388
Indiana 294 217
Wisconsin 273 182

View All Rankings >

One of 3 majors within the Philosophy & Religious Studies area of study, Philosophy has other similar majors worth exploring.

Philosophy Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Philosophy 1,343
Applied & Professional Ethics 28
Other Philosophy 8
Ethics 4
Logic 3

View All Philosophy Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Philosophy

Related Major Annual Graduates
Religious Studies 580
General Philosophy & Religious Studies 15
Other Philosophy & Religious Studies 14

View All Philosophy Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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