Philosophyat University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Graduates earn $21,824/yr in their first year — about 32.0% below the national Philosophy average. Base-case 10-year earnings $387K; scenarios range from $390K to $369K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UIUC
A Philosophy degree from UIUC, while offering a robust intellectual foundation in critical thinking and complex problem-solving, typically isn't a direct vocational pathway. The higher-earning careers you see often reflect graduates who pursued extensive further education, like law school or an MBA, or those who strategically paired their philosophy studies with a more technical major or minor. Without such specialization, the local Champaign-Urbana job market offers limited direct opportunities, meaning most graduates need to relocate or forge their own path. Your strong analytical skills are valuable, but you'll need to explicitly translate them into a specific professional context to secure competitive roles. If you're passionate about philosophy, consider combining it with a highly marketable field like computer science, data analytics, or business, or view it as a rigorous preparation for graduate studies or professional school.
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 UIUC'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 UIUC stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UIUC
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UIUC, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Philosophy at UIUC
How does University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Philosophy program score?
This program scores 17/100 — on the lower end for Philosophy. Prospective students should carefully weigh costs against likely earnings.
How vulnerable is Philosophy to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Philosophy careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 64% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.
Why are Philosophy earnings lower at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign?
Lower starting pay at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign may reflect local labor market conditions rather than program quality. Many graduates see convergence with national averages within 3-5 years.