Philosophy at University of Maryland-College Park

UMD's philosophy program shows unusual earnings momentum, with graduates more than doubling their income from $35,608 to $60,654 between years one and four—a 70% jump that far exceeds typical bachelor's degree trajectories. While the first-year salary ranks at the 60th percentile among Maryland philosophy programs, that four-year figure suggests these graduates are finding pathways beyond entry-level roles, likely in fields like law, consulting, or tech where liberal arts reasoning skills command premium pay.

The debt load of $20,164 keeps this manageable: you're looking at a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.57, meaning graduates owe about half their starting salary. That's below both the national and state medians for philosophy programs, and given UMD's reputation as a flagship with strong metro DC connections, the investment case depends on whether your student can tolerate a modest first year while positioning for better opportunities.

The caveat here is sample size—fewer than 30 graduates reported data, so these numbers could swing considerably year to year. Still, for a philosophy degree at a respected state school with reasonable debt and strong earnings trajectory, this beats the typical outcome for the major. Just make sure your student has a plan for leveraging that degree beyond academia.