Philosophyat University of California-Los Angeles
Graduates earn $30,182/yr in their first year — about 7.0% below the national Philosophy average. Base-case 10-year earnings $551K; scenarios range from $500K to $561K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UCLA
A Philosophy degree from a top-tier institution like UCLA equips you with unparalleled critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and complex argumentation skills. While the initial earnings data might appear modest compared to more vocational degrees, this often reflects a common path for philosophy graduates: many pursue advanced degrees in law, academia, or other professional fields, delaying entry into their highest-earning roles. Your UCLA education carries significant weight, signaling intellectual rigor to employers across diverse sectors in the competitive Los Angeles market, from consulting and tech to non-profits and government.
The "Very High" AI risk for some roles highlights the importance of leveraging your uniquely human skills in ethical reasoning and nuanced problem-solving, which AI cannot replicate. To maximize your return, actively seek internships that translate your philosophical acumen into practical business, legal, or policy contexts, demonstrating direct applicability beyond the theoretical.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to UCLA's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Philosophy
How UCLA stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UCLA
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UCLA, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Philosophy at UCLA
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Philosophy at University of California-Los Angeles?
A score of 29/100 indicates below-average financial outcomes for Philosophy. Earnings, ROI, or AI risk factors are pulling the score down.
Will AI replace Philosophy careers?
With 64% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $499,885 in decade earnings vs $560,778 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.