Philosophy programs in Ontario

44 programs across 15 campuses, with published admission ranges starting at 70%. Sorted by the range each one publishes, lowest first, so you can see where you land.

Programs

Campuses

Lowest range

70%

What this leads to

The picture for philosophy as of 2026-08-17, not a description of this particular program.

Most graduates either go to law school or teaching college to have clear career paths. Those who don't pursue further credentials work as philosophy lecturers, legal associates, consultants, or writers—jobs that don't require the degree itself but value the skills it builds.

In its favour

Critical thinking skills are genuinely hard to automate and are becoming more valuable as routine cognitive work gets automated
Flexible degree that opens doors to law, policy, business consulting, and tech ethics roles without locked-in specialization
Strong track record in legal services and consulting where analytical reasoning commands higher salaries

Worth knowing

Very few direct philosophy jobs exist—there are only 6 university philosophy professor positions posted in all of Canada right now
Most graduates need law school, teaching certification, or an MBA to have a defined career path; a philosophy degree alone doesn't qualify you for most roles
Entry-level jobs often pay poorly ($45k for writers) and the degree doesn't automatically lead anywhere without additional credentials
The skills you're developing—critical thinking, reading, argumentation—are exactly what students stop practicing when they use AI for writing and analysis

How AI is changing this work

The irony is sharp: philosophy teaches critical thinking, but AI tools are actively eroding critical thinking among the people who use them most. Routine writing tasks, analysis, and argument synthesis—the daily practice that builds judgment—are being automated. This means philosophy graduates will be competing for jobs that require what they're supposed to learn, but fewer people (including themselves) will develop those skills through deliberate practice. Philosophy's value lies in being un-automatable, but that only matters if employers actually need independent judgment rather than someone who can prompt an AI effectively.

Where this came from (6 sources)