Philosophy and Religious Studies, General: earnings, debt, and careers

CIP 38.00. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 103 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.

Graduate earnings by credential level

$0$20K$40KBachelor's degree$32,431
National earnings of Philosophy and Religious Studies, General graduates who were working and not enrolled one year after completing, by credential. Bachelor's degree: median $32,431. The bar spans the 25th to 75th percentile, the thin line spans the 10th to 90th percentile, and the red mark is the median.
CredentialProgramsGraduates (recent year)Median earnings, 1 yrMedian earnings, 4 yrsTypical program median debt
Undergraduate certificate38Data unavailableData unavailableData unavailable
Associate's degree56Data unavailableData unavailableData unavailable
Bachelor's degree67100$32,431$47,213Data unavailable
Post-baccalaureate certificate10Data unavailableData unavailableData unavailable
Master's degree1431Data unavailable$48,322Data unavailable
Doctoral degree826Data unavailableData unavailableData unavailable
Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar)30Data unavailableData unavailableData unavailable
Graduate certificate28Data unavailableData unavailableData unavailable

National earnings are published by the Department of Education for each field and credential level Verified data. Typical program median debt is ConnectPrep's calculation: the median across programs of each program's median federal debt Calculated estimate. It covers federal loans only.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data. Varies by measure; see measure definitions. Published October 15, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.

Careers linked to Philosophy and Religious Studies, General

OccupationMedian wage, all workersChange 2025 to 2035Typical entry education
Philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary$80,260+2.0%Doctoral or professional degree

Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk. CIP 2020 and SOC 2018 taxonomies. Published April 30, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National. May 2025 reference period. Published April 30, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Base year 2025, projected year 2035. Published August 27, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Detailed CIP codes in this field (1)
  • 38.0001 Philosophy and Religious Studies, General