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• Step 3: Your ranking of Philosophy programs

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The rankings below have been generated just for you using the priorities you set on this page. You can change your priorities or get rankings for a different field.

How to Read Your Ranking

• Programs are ranked by their score, a weighted sum of the items you chose. (Details)
• Descriptions of each item are listed at the bottom of the page. (You can also see a description by mousing over items at the top of the table.)
• Your weight for each item is shown beneath the item at the top of the table. Weights range in magnitude from 0 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
• A positive weight means that you prefer larger values for the item. A negative weight means that you prefer smaller values for the item.
• Green values are at least one standard deviation better than the mean. Red values are at least one standard deviation worse than the mean.
• Data sources can be found below.

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Rank	Department	Your Score	Yrs (-3)	Job (2)	Ed Eff (2)	Fac Qual (2)	Cost / Year (-5)	Deg / Yr (-3)	# Fac (-2)	Stu / Fac (-3)	UG Acc (-1)	SAT-M (1)	SAT-V (1)
Adjust your weights →			-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+
1.	Philosophy, Cornell University	21.8	5.9	100%	4.1	4.1	$16,969	2.0	15	2.1	27%	710	675
2.	Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology	18.5	5.0	64%	3.9	4.0	$18,201	2.8	11	2.6	14%	770	730
3.	Philosophy, University of Southern California	16.9	5.2	66%*	2.7	2.9	$12,328	2.2	13	2.3	27%	690	665
4.	Philosophy, Princeton University	16.1	6.2	89%	4.6	4.9	$17,805	7.0	16	2.1	11%	745	735
5.	Philosophy, Stanford University	16.0	5.7	76%	4.0	4.2	$17,084	3.6	18	2.9	12%	735	720
6.	Philosophy, Harvard University	13.8	7.3	78%	3.8	4.7	$17,425	3.4	14	3.1	9%	745	745
7.	Philosophy, Brown University	13.6	6.7	67%	3.6	3.8	$16,202	3.4	13	2.0	15%	725	710
8.	Philosophy, Washington University in St Louis	12.9	5.5	84%	2.5	2.4	$16,938	2.4	14	2.6	19%	730	710
9.	Philosophy, Duke University	10.5	6.0	71%	2.6	2.4	$16,361	3.6	11	1.9	22%	725	705
10.	Philosophy, University of Maryland-College Park	10.2	5.9	64%	2.7	2.9	$14,382	1.6	22	1.2	49%	650	625
11.	Philosophy, Trinity College of the Bible and Trinity Theological Seminary	9.9	7.2*	68%*	2.8*	2.8*	$11,318*	1.2	17*	2.8*	36%	633*	616*
12.	Philosophy, University of Rochester	9.5	5.1	66%*	3.0	3.0	$19,807*	1.6	13	2.4	46%	670	650
13.	Philosophy, SUNY at Albany	9.3	5.7	66%*	2.8*	2.8*	$12,595	1.4	17*	2.8*	56%	575	555
14.	Philosophy, Rice University	9.1	7.7	67%	2.8	2.7	$15,506	2.6	11	1.6	25%	725	710
15.	Philosophy, University of Memphis	9.0	4.9	86%	2.8*	2.8*	$13,242	3.4	17*	2.8*	71%	538	530
16.	Philosophy, University of Missouri-Columbia	8.7	5.7	66%*	2.8*	2.8*	$12,268	2.0	17*	2.8*	83%	595	600
16.	Philosophy, University of New Mexico-Main Campus	8.7	5.2	66%*	2.8*	2.8*	$13,451*	1.0	17*	2.8*	74%	535	540
18.	Philosophy, University of Utah	8.6	6.9	71%	2.8*	2.8*	$11,640	1.2	17*	2.8*	86%	633*	616*
19.	Philosophy, University of Pittsburgh-Main Campus	7.3	7.9	78%	4.4	4.7	$14,947	3.6	30	2.0	49%	625	610
20.	Philosophy, Northwestern University	6.8	7.0	67%	3.0	3.2	$17,240	2.8	21	1.7	30%	715	695
Rank	Department	Your Score	Yrs (-3)	Job (2)	Ed Eff (2)	Fac Qual (2)	Cost / Year (-5)	Deg / Yr (-3)	# Fac (-2)	Stu / Fac (-3)	UG Acc (-1)	SAT-M (1)	SAT-V (1)
Adjust your weights →			-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+
21.	Philosophy, University of Arizona	6.6	6.2	92%	3.7	4.0	$17,468	4.4	19	1.9	88%	565	560
22.	Philosophy, University of Virginia-Main Campus	6.5	5.7	45%*	2.4	2.4	$15,102*	1.8	11	3.1	38%	670	655
23.	Philosophy, University of Dallas	6.2	7.7	66%*	2.8*	2.8*	$11,459	1.0	17*	2.8*	81%	595	640
24.	Philosophy, Villanova University	5.8	6.0	50%*	2.8*	2.8*	$12,940	3.0	17*	2.8*	51%	645	620
25.	Philosophy, Chicago Theological Seminary	5.4	7.2*	68%*	2.8*	2.8*	$13,165*	2.4	17*	2.8*	54%*	633*	616*
26.	Philosophy, University of St Thomas	5.2	7.2*	68%*	2.8*	2.8*	$12,922*	0.6	17*	2.8*	92%	580	585
27.	Philosophy, Carnegie Mellon University	4.6	7.2*	66%*	1.7	2.3	$18,335*	1.2	13	1.0	39%	720	660
28.	Philosophy, University of Illinois at Chicago	4.4	7.4	63%	3.3	3.5	$15,476	2.2	17	2.2	58%	605	570
29.	Philosophy, University of South Carolina-Columbia	4.3	6.6	64%	2.8*	2.8*	$13,036	2.4	17*	2.8*	67%	580	570
30.	Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania	4.1	6.9	68%	3.0	3.2	$18,171	5.2	15	2.4	21%	725	705
31.	Philosophy, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary	4.0	7.2*	68%*	2.8*	2.8*	$14,135*	2.6	17*	2.8*	54%*	633*	616*
32.	Philosophy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	3.7	7.2	75%	3.4	3.7	$16,220	5.4	20	2.4	36%	650	640
33.	Philosophy, University of Florida	3.6	7.2*	66%*	2.8*	2.8*	$16,219*	1.2	17*	2.8*	57%	640	620
34.	Philosophy, University of Miami	3.3	7.9	67%	2.6	2.2	$15,255	2.4	8	2.3	46%	640	620
35.	Philosophy, Rutgers University-New Brunswick/Piscataway	3.1	7.1	93%	3.4	3.8	$14,982	5.8	28	2.1	61%	615	580
36.	Philosophy, University of Arkansas Main Campus	2.9	7.2*	66%*	2.8*	2.8*	$13,979*	1.2	17*	2.8*	87%	580	575
37.	Philosophy, University of Nebraska at Lincoln	2.6	7.2	55%*	2.4	2.1	$11,644	2.0	10	3.3	75%	605	595
38.	Philosophy, University of Connecticut	2.5	8.2	82%	2.8*	2.8*	$14,790	2.0	17*	2.8*	51%	600	585
39.	Philosophy, Florida State University	2.2	6.1	60%	1.9	2.0	$14,929	2.0	10	2.8	62%	585	575
39.	Philosophy, University of Notre Dame	2.2	6.9	74%	3.6	3.7	$14,992	7.2	33	2.0	32%	700	685
Rank	Department	Your Score	Yrs (-3)	Job (2)	Ed Eff (2)	Fac Qual (2)	Cost / Year (-5)	Deg / Yr (-3)	# Fac (-2)	Stu / Fac (-3)	UG Acc (-1)	SAT-M (1)	SAT-V (1)
Adjust your weights →			-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+
41.	Philosophy, University of California-Berkeley	2.0	7.7	92%	3.7	4.7	$24,521	5.2	16	2.1	25%	685	645
42.	Philosophy, Michigan State University	1.9	6.8	67%	2.2	1.9	$11,006	3.2	25	1.0	76%	585	555
42.	Philosophy, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	1.9	7.9	79%	2.8*	2.8*	$14,399	4.4	17*	2.8*	57%	680	640
44.	Philosophy, University of Georgia	1.8	7.2*	66%*	1.8	1.9	$14,208*	2.0	14	1.9	62%	615	610
44.	Philosophy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	1.8	7.2	71%	2.8	2.8	$14,714	4.0	22	2.1	68%	675	615
46.	Philosophy, Syracuse University	1.7	7.8	71%	3.5	3.3	$17,657	2.2	20	2.3	65%	620	595
47.	Philosophy, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	1.6	8.2	71%	3.0	3.0	$12,805	3.8	22	1.9	70%	630	600
48.	Philosophy, University of Chicago	1.5	8.2	82%	3.4	3.9	$17,977	5.6	20	3.0	40%	715	725
48.	Philosophy, University of South Florida	1.5	6.9	66%*	2.8*	2.8*	$17,506*	1.6	17*	2.8*	28%	565	555
50.	Philosophy, Ohio State University-Main Campus	1.3	7.3	94%	3.1	3.2	$15,072	3.4	36	1.5	73%	580	560
51.	Philosophy, Indiana University-Bloomington	1.2	6.9	67%	3.1	3.1	$13,216	4.0	17	3.0	85%	560	550
51.	Philosophy, Yale University	1.2	7.5	50%	1.9	1.9	$16,526	2.6	14	2.4	10%	740	740
53.	Philosophy, New York University	1.0	7.2*	66%*	2.8*	2.8*	$20,594*	1.2	17*	2.8*	37%	665	665
53.	Philosophy, Tulane University of Louisiana	1.0	6.5	45%	2.1	1.9	$15,879	1.6	11	3.7	45%	680	670
53.	Philosophy, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus	1.0	6.9	69%	2.8*	2.8*	$17,204	2.2	17*	2.8*	86%	633*	616*
56.	Philosophy, SUNY at Binghamton	0.6	6.3	45%	2.8*	2.8*	$12,093	6.4	17*	2.8*	43%	650	615
57.	Philosophy, DePaul University	-0.2	7.7	67%	2.8*	2.8*	$14,009	2.6	17*	2.8*	69%	555	566
58.	Philosophy, University of Massachusetts-Amherst	-0.3	7.7	86%	3.4	3.4	$17,645	2.8	15	4.1	80%	575	565
59.	Philosophy, Johns Hopkins University	-0.4	9.7	92%	3.0	3.0	$16,005	4.8	9	4.2	35%	705	680
59.	Philosophy, Marquette University	-0.4	6.7	50%	2.8*	2.8*	$11,174	5.8	17*	2.8*	70%	600	595
Rank	Department	Your Score	Yrs (-3)	Job (2)	Ed Eff (2)	Fac Qual (2)	Cost / Year (-5)	Deg / Yr (-3)	# Fac (-2)	Stu / Fac (-3)	UG Acc (-1)	SAT-M (1)	SAT-V (1)
Adjust your weights →			-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+
59.	Philosophy, Purdue University-Main Campus	-0.4	6.3	59%	2.8*	2.8*	$12,056	5.8	17*	2.8*	85%	590	555
59.	Philosophy, Vanderbilt University	-0.4	6.3	56%	3.0	2.6	$17,056	5.2	15	3.9	35%	695	675
63.	Philosophy, University of California-San Diego	-0.5	7.2	77%	3.5	3.8	$24,484	3.0	18	2.2	39%	655	605
64.	Philosophy, Stony Brook University	-1.3	6.7	52%	2.4	2.3	$12,370	4.0	24	2.3	51%	610	570
65.	Philosophy, Columbia University in the City of New York	-1.4	7.7	64%	2.9	3.2	$16,600	5.6	17	4.4	13%	725	715
66.	Philosophy, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus	-1.5	6.2	66%	2.2	2.1	$13,812	6.2	14	2.7	58%	610	580
67.	Philosophy, Saint Louis University-Main Campus	-1.7	6.2	75%	2.5	1.8	$20,933	3.8	17	0.5	76%	610	600
68.	Philosophy, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus	-3.0	7.2*	66%*	2.0	1.6	$19,226*	0.8	10	1.7	77%	565	545
69.	Philosophy, University of Kansas Main Campus	-3.2	8.2	38%	2.7	2.1	$11,533	3.8	16	2.3	69%	633*	616*
70.	Philosophy, Georgetown University	-3.3	9.3	75%	2.8	2.5	$18,032	3.0	26	1.9	21%	695	695
71.	Philosophy, Emory University	-3.5	7.1	58%	3.0	2.5	$16,296	7.4	14	3.3	39%	700	680
72.	Philosophy, University of Colorado at Boulder	-3.9	6.9	72%	2.8*	2.8*	$16,035	5.8	17*	2.8*	88%	600	580
73.	Philosophy, Boston College	-4.0	7.7	61%	2.4	2.1	$14,266	4.8	22	3.3	31%	680	655
74.	Philosophy, Wayne State University	-4.4	8.2	14%*	2.8*	2.8*	$13,864*	1.0	17*	2.8*	63%	633*	616*
75.	Philosophy, The University of Tennessee	-4.6	7.7	69%	1.1	1.3	$13,774	3.2	11	2.4	44%	555	555
76.	Philosophy, University of Kentucky	-5.2	7.7	36%*	1.7	1.6	$12,008	2.2	16	1.7	79%	575	565
77.	Philosophy, SUNY at Buffalo	-5.3	7.0	56%	2.2	2.2	$11,959	6.4	19	2.8	56%	595	565
78.	Philosophy, University of California-Los Angeles	-6.9	8.5	75%	4.0	4.4	$28,900	3.2	25	1.8	23%	665	630
79.	Philosophy, University of Hawaii at Manoa	-7.4	8.2	53%	1.1	1.8	$10,330	4.4	13	2.6	65%	570	535
80.	Philosophy, Southern Illinois University Carbondale	-8.0	6.9	33%*	1.2	1.4	$11,636	4.6	13	1.1	77%	520	520
Rank	Department	Your Score	Yrs (-3)	Job (2)	Ed Eff (2)	Fac Qual (2)	Cost / Year (-5)	Deg / Yr (-3)	# Fac (-2)	Stu / Fac (-3)	UG Acc (-1)	SAT-M (1)	SAT-V (1)
Adjust your weights →			-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+
81.	Philosophy, University of California-Santa Barbara	-8.2	7.7	91%	2.0	2.5	$24,034	2.4	11	4.0	53%	600	580
82.	Philosophy, Boston University	-8.6	7.3	57%	2.9	3.1	$17,237	8.2	22	2.6	55%	655	645
83.	Philosophy, University of California-Irvine	-8.9	7.0	59%	3.0	3.3	$26,958	3.4	12	2.7	52%	620	580
84.	Philosophy, University of Oregon	-10.6	7.5	40%	1.3	1.5	$13,284	4.0	9	3.1	91%	560	555
85.	Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago	-11.7	8.0	40%	2.5	2.3	$14,262	4.2	29	2.6	74%	585	590
86.	Philosophy, University of California-Davis	-12.4	7.9	70%	2.8*	2.8*	$28,043	1.8	17*	2.8*	55%	615	565
87.	Philosophy, The University of Texas at Austin	-12.5	8.2	57%	3.0	3.2	$18,426	6.2	37	1.6	51%	630	605
88.	Philosophy, Temple University	-13.7	7.4	53%	2.4	2.3	$21,565	4.0	14	3.3	63%	550	540
89.	Philosophy, Catholic University of America	-15.1	8.7	57%	2.6	2.2	$17,570	4.6	15	4.4	82%	565	580
90.	Philosophy, University of Iowa	-15.2	8.2	73%	2.7	2.2	$27,018	2.2	11	4.0	84%	600	585
91.	Philosophy, University of Washington-Seattle Campus	-15.4	10.0	78%	2.8*	2.8*	$25,146	2.6	17*	2.8*	67%	610	590
92.	Philosophy, Fordham University	-17.0	6.8	63%	2.2	1.8	$16,453	5.6	13	9.5	50%	590	600
93.	Philosophy, University of California-Riverside	-17.1	8.0	67%	2.6	2.6	$27,976	2.6	19	2.1	74%	565	510
94.	Philosophy, CUNY Graduate School and University Center	-17.5	8.5	67%	2.8	3.5	$22,077*	6.4	32	3.4	54%*	633*	616*
95.	Philosophy, University of Wisconsin-Madison	-17.7	7.7	51%	3.1	3.3	$20,413	7.2	26	4.8	71%	650	615
96.	Philosophy, Duquesne University	-22.2	9.5	60%	1.7	1.3	$16,674	5.2	9	6.0	80%	565	560
97.	Philosophy, Claremont Graduate University	-32.9	9.7	73%	1.6	1.1	$24,844*	2.0	3	13.3	54%*	633*	616*
98.	Philosophy, The New School	-42.3	8.7	49%	2.8*	2.8*	$34,130	13.6	17*	2.8*	51%	560	565

Unranked Philosophy Graduate Schools

Item Descriptions

Your Score

Your customized program score is a weighted sum of points for each item. The weights were selected on this page. For an item with importance weight W, a program receives W × S points for being S standard deviations above average. Larger values are better.

Years to Degree (Yrs)

Median time lapse from entering graduate school at the doctorate-granting institution to receipt of doctorate in years. Note that time spent obtaining a master's degree at a different institution is not counted. Your weight = -3. Smaller values are better. (SED, 2000-2004)

Placement Rate (Job)

Percentage of doctorate recipients from the program with definite plans at graduation (either a job or a postdoctoral position). Your weight = 2. Larger values are better. (SED, 2000-2004)

Educational Effectiveness (Ed Eff)

Program effectiveness in educating research scholars and scientists, 1993. Scale of 0 to 5, with 0 denoting "Not Effective" and 5 denoting "Extremely Effective." Your weight = 2. Larger values are better. (NRC, 1995)

Faculty Quality (Fac Qual)

Scholarly quality of program faculty, 1993. Scale of 0 to 5, with 0 denoting "Not sufficient for doctoral education" and 5 denoting "Distinguished." Your weight = 2. Larger values are better. (NRC, 1995)

Cost Per Year (Cost / Year)

Low yearly cost (tuition, fees, room and board, other expenses) for an out of state student living on campus. Assumes median tuition remission. Your weight = -5. Smaller values are better. (IPEDS, 2001-2005)

Doctorates Granted per Year (Deg / Yr)

The average number of doctorates granted by the program per year between 2001 and 2005. Your weight = -3. Smaller values are better. (IPEDS, 2001-2005)

Number of Faculty (# Fac)

Total number of faculty participating in the program. Your weight = -2. Smaller values are better. (NRC, 1995)

Grad Student / Faculty Ratio (Stu / Fac)

The number of graduate students per faculty member. Your weight = -3. Smaller values are better. (NRC, 1995)

Undergraduate Acceptance Rate (UG Acc)

The percentage of applicants the institution accepts into its undergraduate programs. Your weight = -1. Smaller values are better. (IPEDS, 2005)

Math SAT Score (SAT-M)

The average of the 25th and 75th percentile mathematics SAT scores for undergraduates at the institution. Your weight = 1. Larger values are better. (IPEDS, 2005)

Verbal SAT Score (SAT-V)

The average of the 25th and 75th percentile verbal SAT scores for undergraduates at the institution. Your weight = 1. Larger values are better. (IPEDS, 2005)

Missing Values

Missing values have been replaced with the average value for all programs in the field.

Data Sources

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System

IPEDS is an annual, comprehensive set of surveys of all colleges and universities in the United States. The surveys are conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics.  Learn more

National Research Council

The National Research Council conducts assessments of doctoral programs in the United States every 10 to 15 years). The data we use are from the most recent assessment, the 1995 study Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States: Continuity and Change. Learn more about the NRC study's methods here; order a copy here. The next NRC assessment is scheduled for release in Summer 2009.  Learn more

Survey of Earned Doctorates

The NSF/NIH/NEH/USED/USDA/NASA Survey of Earned Doctorates is an annual survey of all new recipients of doctorates from US universities at graduation. The average of the response rates for the 2000–2004 surveys was 92%.  Learn more

Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

The Survey is an annual assessment of the number and characteristics of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in science, engineering, and health-related fields. It is conducted by the National Science Foundation.  Learn more