by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 4 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Philosophy Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 523 degrees in philosophy annually.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
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.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Philosophy Schools in the Plains States Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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.
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.
It's hard to beat University of Iowa if you wish to pursue a degree in philosophy. Iowa is a fairly large public university located in the city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.
There were about 30 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in philosophy from University of Iowa
Every student pursuing a degree in philosophy needs to take a look at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.
There were roughly 43 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the philosophy program make around $31,652 for their early career.
More information about a degree in philosophy from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
It is hard to beat University of St Thomas Minnesota if you want to pursue a degree in philosophy. Located in the city of Saint Paul, UST MN is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were about 35 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UST MN in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in philosophy from University of St Thomas Minnesota
It's difficult to beat Missouri State University - Springfield if you want to pursue a degree in philosophy. Located in the medium-sized city of Springfield, Missouri State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 10th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.
There were about 3 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Missouri State in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in philosophy from Missouri State University - SpringfieldExplore the best philosophy colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 284 | 180 |
| Missouri | 283 | 149 |
| Kansas | 266 | 69 |
| Iowa | 264 | 110 |
| Nebraska | 238 | 37 |
| North Dakota | 210 | 26 |
| South Dakota | 204 | 10 |
One of 3 majors within the Philosophy & Religious Studies area of study, Philosophy has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Philosophy | 516 |
| Other Philosophy | 6 |
| Logic | 1 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Religious Studies | 379 |
| Other Philosophy & Religious Studies | 29 |
| General Philosophy & Religious Studies | 21 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.