Best Online Bachelor’s in Philosophy Degree Programs Ranked for 2024

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Find top-ranked online bachelor’s in philosophy degree programs for students looking for a wide range of opportunities in education, public policy, organizational leadership and more.

Top 10 Online Bachelor's in Philosophy Degrees

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  1. University of Arizona
  2. University of Memphis
  3. Portland State University
  4. University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  5. Albertus Magnus College
  6. University of Missouri–St. Louis
  7. University of Colorado Colorado Springs
  8. University of Tennessee at Martin
  9. University of Southern Mississippi
  10. Southwestern Assemblies of God University
  1. University of Arizona
  2. University of Memphis
  3. Portland State University
  4. University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  5. University of Southern Mississippi
  6. University of Tennessee at Martin
  7. University of Missouri–St. Louis
  8. Southwestern Assemblies of God University
  9. University of Colorado Colorado Springs
  10. Albertus Magnus College
  1. University of Southern Mississippi 99%
  2. University of Memphis 95%
  3. Portland State University 93%
  4. University of North Carolina at Greensboro 92%
  5. University of Tennessee at Martin 88%
  6. University of Arizona 87%
  7. Southwestern Assemblies of God University 86%
  8. University of Colorado Colorado Springs 85%
  9. Albertus Magnus College 80%
  10. University of Missouri–St. Louis 51%
  1. Southwestern Assemblies of God University 17 to 1
  2. University of Memphis 17 to 1
  3. University of North Carolina at Greensboro 17 to 1
  4. Portland State University 17 to 1
  5. University of Arizona 17 to 1
  6. University of Tennessee at Martin 15 to 1
  7. Albertus Magnus College 15 to 1
  8. University of Southern Mississippi 15 to 1
  9. University of Colorado Colorado Springs 15 to 1
  10. University of Missouri–St. Louis 13 to 1
  1. Albertus Magnus College $37,682
  2. Southwestern Assemblies of God University $17,782
  3. University of Missouri–St. Louis $12,528
  4. University of Arizona $11,210
  5. University of Colorado Colorado Springs $10,990
  6. Holy Apostles College and Seminary $9,440
  7. University of Southern Mississippi $9,340
  8. Portland State University $8,400
  9. University of Tennessee at Martin $8,378
  10. University of Memphis $8,352
  1. Albertus Magnus College $22,176
  2. Portland State University $15,048
  3. University of Colorado Colorado Springs $14,560
  4. University of Missouri–St. Louis $13,154
  5. University of Arizona $12,348
  6. University of Memphis $9,378
  7. University of Southern Mississippi $9,340
  8. University of Tennessee at Martin $9,278
  9. Southwestern Assemblies of God University $8,280
  10. Holy Apostles College and Seminary $7,020
  1. Holy Apostles College and Seminary
  2. Southwestern Assemblies of God University
  3. University of Southern Mississippi
  4. University of Tennessee at Martin
  5. University of Colorado Colorado Springs
  6. University of Missouri–St. Louis
  7. Albertus Magnus College
  8. University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  9. Portland State University
  10. University of Memphis
  1. Holy Apostles College and Seminary
  2. Albertus Magnus College
  3. University of Colorado Colorado Springs
  4. Southwestern Assemblies of God University
  5. University of Missouri–St. Louis
  6. University of Tennessee at Martin
  7. University of Southern Mississippi
  8. University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  9. Portland State University
  10. University of Memphis
  1. University of Missouri–St. Louis 51%
  2. Albertus Magnus College 80%
  3. University of Colorado Colorado Springs 85%
  4. Southwestern Assemblies of God University 86%
  5. University of Arizona 87%
  6. University of Tennessee at Martin 88%
  7. University of North Carolina at Greensboro 92%
  8. Portland State University 93%
  9. University of Memphis 95%
  10. University of Southern Mississippi 99%
  1. Holy Apostles College and Seminary 8 to 1
  2. University of Missouri–St. Louis 13 to 1
  3. University of Tennessee at Martin 15 to 1
  4. Albertus Magnus College 15 to 1
  5. University of Southern Mississippi 15 to 1
  6. University of Colorado Colorado Springs 15 to 1
  7. Southwestern Assemblies of God University 17 to 1
  8. University of Memphis 17 to 1
  9. University of North Carolina at Greensboro 17 to 1
  10. Portland State University 17 to 1
  1. University of North Carolina at Greensboro $4,422
  2. University of Memphis $8,352
  3. University of Tennessee at Martin $8,378
  4. Portland State University $8,400
  5. University of Southern Mississippi $9,340
  6. Holy Apostles College and Seminary $9,440
  7. University of Colorado Colorado Springs $10,990
  8. University of Arizona $11,210
  9. University of Missouri–St. Louis $12,528
  10. Southwestern Assemblies of God University $17,782
  1. University of North Carolina at Greensboro $5,219
  2. Holy Apostles College and Seminary $7,020
  3. Southwestern Assemblies of God University $8,280
  4. University of Tennessee at Martin $9,278
  5. University of Southern Mississippi $9,340
  6. University of Memphis $9,378
  7. University of Arizona $12,348
  8. University of Missouri–St. Louis $13,154
  9. University of Colorado Colorado Springs $14,560
  10. Portland State University $15,048

Key Takeaways

  • Students in an online bachelor’s in philosophy explore social, political, and intellectual theories about human existence and interaction.
  • An online philosophy program also allows you to study customs, diversity, and societies about religion.
  • Bachelor’s degrees that are the same as philosophy programs include general humanities and religion degrees.

Featured Programs

The Ins and Outs of an Online Bachelor Degree in Philosophy

Prospective students who plan to earn an online philosophy degree will be prepared with reasoning, critical thinking, and communication skills. You will study how to write concisely, structure arguments, and communicate your ideas with the principles of moral and political philosophy in mind.

Some of the coursework in a degree in philosophy includes ancient and medieval philosophy, rationalist, postmodern and modern philosophy, and symbolic logic, among others. The program features 120 credits and can be completed in four years.

Philosophy online bachelor’s degree programs are offered by a growing number of universities and colleges. A GED or high school diploma is usually required for admission, together with application essays and letters of recommendation. Some schools also require SAT and ACT scores.

Online Bachelor’s in Philosophy Careers

Paralegals: Work together with lawyers, preparing documents, carrying out research, and communicating with clients. Paralegal experts have extensive knowledge of legal practices and procedures, coupled with strong oral and communication skills.

Journalists: Journalists are those who carry out research and write articles for magazines, newspapers, and websites. Sometimes, they contribute to audio and video media, providing facts they gathered from inquiries and investigations. Journalists work with editors, investigators, and even their fellow writers; although they can also work independently.

Ministers: Ministers work within congregations or communities. They can serve in the military as chaplains, or focus on specific populations like youth. Ministers deliver church sermons, manage church staff, and counsel individuals when needed.

Communications Manager: Philosophy graduates in this role manage external and internal communications within an organization or a business. They often work with advertisers, marketers, social media contributors, and public relations professionals.

Mental Health Counselors: These philosophy graduates help patients, clients, and groups cope with illnesses and mental health problems. Good communication and listening skills are of the utmost importance to these counselors.

Political Analysts: Political analysts evaluate existing procedures, policies, and regulations. They also identify needs for improvement, adjusting them based on an individual or organizational need. Analysts also work in government, fighting for action and change. They also analyze, collect, and report on quantitative and qualitative data based on their findings.

Philosophy Majors Resources

Educational institutions and professional organizations provide helpful resources for philosophy majors. As you enter the workforce, you can use career counseling, job listing, and mentorship programs to secure a job that will meet your professional goals and personal interests.

Philosophical Writing Manual: This is a web page manual created by Martin Young and covers writing fundamentals for philosophy graduates. It also has a condensed version.

PhilPapers: This is a valuable tool for both philosophy professionals and bachelor’s in philosophy students. PhilPapers is the world’s biggest online database of philosophy-related academic journals, books, and open-access archives. This also features a discussion forum, and you can create personal profiles if needed.

The Job Candidate Mentoring Program for Women in Philosophy: This is an organization that focuses on one goal: to help women gain employment in academic positions. Transgender women, cisgender women, and non-binary individuals can also apply to the organization. There are even mentorships awarded to selected candidates.

Minorities and Philosophy: MAP is an organization that has 109 university chapters across the globe and serves faculty, graduate, and undergraduate philosophy students. MAP has a solid community of peers and helpful forums where you can discuss minority issues concerning the philosophy of race, gender, and disability.

The Philosophers’ Cocoon: This is a combination blog and conversation space that supports early-career philosophers through posts and threads. You can find more than 20 philosophy professionals on-the-ready to respond to questions and concerns.

Phil Skills: Phil Skills collects and shares interviews of non-academic philosophers. This is also helpful for master’s and doctoral students and talks about inspiration and information about philosophy careers beyond academia.

Frequently Asked Questions About Philosophy Degrees

A bachelor’s degree in philosophy is a versatile advanced degree, where you’ll take part in thoughtful debates, discuss complex ethical dilemmas, and explore the boundaries of logic. Philosophy is one of the top degrees held by law school student because it includes logic (argumentation), ethics, , epistomolgy, perception, language, history of law and politics. There is a philosphical aspect of every subject.

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For full-time students, most programs take about four years to complete, as with most bachelor’s degrees. Whether you pursue your bachelor’s in philosophy online or on campus, your program will likely require the completion of roughly 120-128 credits.

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Courses may include Topics in Epistemology, Ethical Theory, Aesthetics, 19th Century Philosophy, Symbolic Logic, and a wide variety of other possiblities.

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After completing the program, graduates will qualify for a wide range of opportunities in education, public policy, organizational leadership and more. Advancing to graduate work in philosophy or another field is very common.

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Learn more about what you can do with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.

Best Online Bachelor's in Philosophy Degree Programs
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Putting Together the Best Online Bachelor’s in Philosophy List

Since the bachelor’s in philosophy degree is a very broad program, it’s important that you keep your career goal in mind as you identify a curriculum and school that is appropriate for your needs. Courses may cover the full range of the discipline, from ancient philosophy to modern philosophy, and everything in between.

The schools on the list are also regionally accredited institutions. This is important as this will signal to employers that graduates have received a quality education. For students seeking a higher degree or transfering schools, accreditation guarantees that other schools will recognize the student’s past coursework and degree.

School accreditation is also necessary if institutions are planning to provide federal financial aid. Schools without the relevant accreditation status are likely ineligible for federal grants and loans.

Each school on our list offers financial aid in the form of grants, loans, scholarships, and military grants.

Best Online Bachelor’s in Philosophy Degree Programs

  1. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $13K

    Acceptance

    87%

    Graduation

    68%

    Student body

    54K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1255/25

    Online Degrees

    BA in Philosophy: Ethics
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion time: 4-5 years
    • Format: Online
  2. #2

    University of Memphis

    Memphis , TN
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $10K

    Acceptance

    95%

    Graduation

    48%

    Student body

    25K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1080/20

    Online Degrees

    BA in Philosophy

    Concentrations

    • Applied Ethics
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion time: 4-5 years
    • Format: Online
  3. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $12K

    Acceptance

    85%

    Graduation

    43%

    Student body

    15K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1115/24

    Online Degrees

    BA in Philosophy
    • Required Credits: 120-128
    • Completion time: 4-5 years
    • Format: Online

Career Outlook for Students with Philosophy Degree

Go to Degree Finder tool

Philosophy And Religious Studies

Degree Level: Bachelor's

  • Location: The U.S. (Private Schools)

Career Salaries

CareerJob GrowthAvg. Salary
Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary2.75%$76,104

Average Career Salaries

Bottom 10%MedianTop 10%
$46,769$75,035$123,451

Promising Job Markets

StateCost of LivingAvg. Salary
#2 Ohio14% higher than average$80,060
#3 Georgia13% higher than average$80,350
#4 Texas10% higher than average$81,680
#5 New York5% higher than average$94,880
#6 Vermont13% higher than average$101,990

Top Industries

IndustryAvg. Salary
Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary$76,104
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Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require a time of adjustment. Although you’ll typically learn the same material and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, going online will require greater independence and responsibility than going in person. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, for harnessing the online educational technology that you’ll need to use, and for completing the course requirements, such as listening to lectures, learning lessons, reading texts, and handing in assignments. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take the initiative in building relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

No. The only part of online education that’s easier than campus-based education is ease of access: all you need is a computer and an internet connection for online education. But even this seeming advantage of online education can be misleading: what’s easier, studying online with your computer and internet connection from your home where you need to cook, clean, pay rent, and maintain a job? Or studying on campus in a dorm where all your living needs are handled by the school, and college staff are there to help you every step of the way?

If you take the commute to campus out of the equation, campus-based education is easier. All the support structures available on campus for students, especially with real people to help you in person, are not there online. The demands on you as an online student will largely be the same as for your campus-based counterpart, but without the same helps.

In general, your online courses will present the same material and test you in the same way as traditional in-person courses. In many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning with remote educational technology for the first time, online college may be considerably more challenging than campus-based college. For a few insights on how to manage this new online experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.

Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable non-profit institutions on the one end and less-than-reputable for-profit institutions on the other end. Accreditation gives you the power to identify the more reputable actors in online education. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency indicating that a college or university is meeting standards of quality and credibility. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.

Attending a college or university that is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. For students seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that they opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree. For more on this important topic, check out our What is Accreditation and Why Does It Matter? College & University Accreditation Guide.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited (see the previous point), you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer of credits. In many cases, you will encounter some bureaucratic haggling in which some of your credits will be transferred and others may be refused. However, provided that you have attended an online school with recognized regional accreditation, you should be in good shape in transferring your credits earned online.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript, or resumé differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

Some employers may express the concern that because you did your degree online, you may need to transition from an online education experience to in-person workplace experience. But in an age of Covid, that concern seems much diminished. The fact is that much employment these days is remote. And collaboration increasingly happens online over Zoom. Many employers will therefore view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will be less than ideal for you (though depending on your circumstances, it may also be the only viable option).

While there is much in traditional campus-based education that can be substituted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing that can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual in-person classroom setting. As you transition to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face in getting the most out of your online classes is overcoming this difference between “real reality” and “virtual reality.” Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

The advantages of online classes are many. Above all, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete at your own pace and on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

Resources for Online College-Bound Students

Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.

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