Philosophy at Syracuse University

With fewer than 30 graduates in this cohort, treat these numbers as directional rather than definitive, but Syracuse's philosophy program appears to deliver solid middle-tier outcomes. At $35,602 in first-year earnings, graduates earn about $2,300 more than the state median and nearly $4,000 above the national average for philosophy majors. The program ranks around the 60th percentile among New York's 74 philosophy programs—respectable, though nowhere near the $52,000+ that Columbia philosophy grads command or even the $40,000+ from NYU.

The debt picture is reasonable for a private university: $23,250 falls near both state and national medians, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.65. For context, this means your child would owe roughly eight months of their first-year salary—manageable if they're committed to graduate school or careers where philosophy backgrounds matter (law, consulting, tech ethics). Philosophy is rarely a direct-to-career major, so consider these earnings a floor rather than a ceiling.

The real question is whether Syracuse's outcomes justify its private-school premium when CUNY campuses deliver comparable or better results at a fraction of the cost. If your child is set on Syracuse for fit or connections, this program won't derail their finances. But if philosophy is simply an intellectual interest, a SUNY or CUNY option might make more financial sense while leaving room for the graduate education many philosophy majors eventually pursue.