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2025 Best Philosophy Schools in the Great Lakes Region

12 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
1,305 Philosophy Degrees Awarded
$33,575 Avg Early-Career Salary
Philosophy is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #83 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 12 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Philosophy Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,305 degrees in philosophy to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Philosophy School

Best Philosophy Schools in the Great Lakes Region The philosophy program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Philosophy rankings. For our Best Overall Philosophy School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Philosophy Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Philosophy
Bachelor's Degrees in Philosophy
Master's Degrees in Philosophy
Doctor's Degrees in Philosophy

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Philosophy Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Philosophy in the Great Lakes Region

The schools below may not offer all types of philosophy degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Philosophy

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
85 Philosophy Degrees Awarded

Any student who is interested in philosophy has to check out University of Chicago. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were about 85 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in philosophy from University of Chicago

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IN
45 Philosophy Degrees Awarded

University of Notre Dame is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in philosophy. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were approximately 45 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in philosophy from University of Notre Dame

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
77 Philosophy Degrees Awarded
5.2% Growth in Graduates

University of Wisconsin - Madison is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in philosophy. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were about 77 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the philosophy degree program at University of Wisconsin - Madison make $2,400 more than the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in philosophy from University of Wisconsin - Madison

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
40 Philosophy Degrees Awarded
$37,885 Median Starting Salary

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a great choice for students interested in a degree in philosophy. U-M is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were approximately 40 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year. Those philosophy students who get their degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor receive $4,310 more than the typical philosophy graduate.

More information about a degree in philosophy from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$39,971 Median Starting Salary

Ohio State is a very large public university located in the large city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were about 30 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available. Those philosophy students who get their degree from Ohio State University - Main Campus earn $6,396 more than the average philosophy grad.

More information about a degree in philosophy from Ohio State University - Main Campus

6
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In WI

Located in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were approximately 23 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Marquette in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in philosophy from Marquette University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IL
34 Philosophy Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 4th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 34 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in philosophy from Loyola University Chicago

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Philosophy Degrees Awarded
12.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 31 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the philosophy program report average early career earnings of $21,824.

More information about a degree in philosophy from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In IL
23.8% Growth in Graduates

Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Wheaton. This college ranks 13th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 21 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Wheaton College Illinois in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in philosophy from Wheaton College Illinois

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Philosophy Degrees Awarded
12.5% Growth in Graduates

Franciscan U is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Steubenville. This university ranks 26th out of 91 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were roughly 48 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Franciscan U in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the philosophy program report average early career income of $32,165.

More information about a degree in philosophy from Franciscan University of Steubenville

Best Philosophy Colleges by State

Explore the best philosophy colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 262
Ohio 314 314
Illinois 304 388
Indiana 294 217
Wisconsin 273 182

View All Rankings >

One of 3 majors within the Philosophy & Religious Studies area of study, Philosophy has other similar majors worth exploring.

Philosophy Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Philosophy 1,251
Applied & Professional Ethics 24
Ethics 16
Logic 7
Other Philosophy 7

View All Philosophy Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Philosophy

Related Major Annual Graduates
Religious Studies 545
General Philosophy & Religious Studies 15
Other Philosophy & Religious Studies 7

View All Philosophy Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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