Career outcomes for MA Philosophy graduates

grad cap being thrown in the air with geometic pattern and text "You+Waterloo=Possibilities"

Summary

  • Just over 33% of graduates work in educational services which includes working in post-secondary institutions and school boards (33.3%). A [philosophy] teacher, [philosophy] lecturer, or working at a post-secondary institution are the most common careers.
  • Another common industry that graduates work in is legal services, specifically as legal associates and partners.
  • Graduates working in legal services, consulting services, and communications have the highest salaries.

The information on this page was extracted from raw data collected from LinkedIn in early 2022 by the University of Waterloo’s Alumni Relations office. The visualizations and lists represent the careers of alumni who graduated between 2002 and 2021. The salary amounts have been extrapolated based on relevant submissions to Glassdoor.


Roles held by MA Philosophy graduates: 

  • Attorney
  • Commercial Operations Support
  • Customer Success Representative 
  • Digital Humanities Specialist
  • Financial Coordinator
  • Litigator
  • Payments Director
  • Philosophy Lecturer
  • Reporter
  • Software Developer
  • Software Engineer
  • Teacher

Employers of MA Philosophy graduates: 

  • Bell Canada
  • Bytemark Inc
  • Compute Canada
  • District School Board of Niagara
  • PillPack
  • Post-secondary institutions (Conestoga College, McMaster University, Stanford University, Thompson Rivers University, University of British Columbia, University of Waterloo)
  • Schnurr Kirsh Oelbaum Tator Law
  • Smith Valeriote Law Firm
  • Social Solutions
  • The Hamilton Spectator
  • Workplace Safety North

Employment location for MA Philosophy graduates

dark purple

 Outside the Greater Toronto Area- Ontario, 63.3%

Dark green

USA, 10%

orange

British Columbia, 10%

light blue

Inside the Greater Toronto Area- Ontario, 16.7%

Chart data: Employment location

Employment location Percentage
Outside the Greater Toronto Area- Ontario 63.3%
USA 10%
British Columbia 10%
Inside the Greater Toronto Area- Ontario 16.7%

Career outcomes for MA Philosophy graduates by industry 

dark orange

 Educational Services (researcher, [philosophy] teacher, [philosophy] lecturer, financial coordinator), 33.3%

teal

 For-profit Organization (software engineer, digital humanities specialist, payments director), 16.7%

light purple

 Legal Services (litigator, legal associates and partners), 16.7%

orange

 Academia (postdoctoral scholar), 3.3%

light blue

 Communications (reporter, photojournalist, chief executive officer), 13.3%

dark purple

 Computer Software Services (software development, commercial operations support), 10%

Dark green

 Consulting Services (writing and editing, health and safety specialist), 6.7%

Chart data: Employment industry

Employment industry Percentage
Educational Services (researcher, [philosophy] teacher, [philosophy] lecturer, financial coordinator) 33.3%
For-profit Organization (software engineer, digital humanities specialist, payments director) 16.7%
Legal Services (litigator, legal associates and partners) 16.7%
Academia (postdoctoral scholar) 3.3%
Communications (reporter, photojournalist, chief executive officer) 13.3%
Computer Software Services (software development, commercial operations support) 10%
Consulting Services (writing and editing, health and safety specialist) 6.7%

Mean salary by industry for MA Philosophy graduates

orange

 Academia, $84,200

light blue

 Communications, $96,300

dark purple

 Computer Software Services, $55,300

Dark green

 Consulting Services, $98,200

View larger image.

dark orange

 Educational Services, $78,400

teal

 For-profit Organization, $83,100

light purple

 Legal Services, $103,100

Chart data: Mean salary by industry

Industry Canadian dollars per year
Academia $84,200
Communications $96,300
Computer Software Services $55,300
Consulting Services $98,200
Educational Services $78,400
For-profit Organization $83,100
Legal Services $103,100

Median salary by industry for MA Philosophy graduates

orange

 Academia, $84,200

light blue

 Communications, $89,800

dark purple

 Computer Software Services, $53,900

Dark green

 Consulting Services, 98,200

View larger image.

dark orange

 Educational Services, $67,700

teal

 For-profit Organization, $91,900

light purple

 Legal Services, $103,30

Chart data: Median salary by industry

Industry Canadian dollars per year
Academia $84,200
Communications $89,800
Computer Software Services $53,900
Consulting Services $98,200
Educational Services $67,700
For-profit Organization $91,900
Legal Services $103,300

Relation between career and field of study for MA Philosophy graduates

dark purple

 Not related at all, 10 MA Philosophy graduates

light blue

Somewhat related, 9 MA Philosophy graduates

orange

Closely related, 11 MA Philosophy graduates

View larger image.

Chart data: Relation between career and field of study

Relation Number of MA Philosophy graduates
Not related at all 10
Somewhat related 9
Closely related 11