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Obtaining a philosophy job with a PhD in another field?

In our new "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

First-year PhD student here. What are my prospects for academic employment in philosophy at R1 institutions given my PhD in social sciences from a top 3 globally ranked university? Would publishing 2–3 papers in leading political philosophy journals before graduation outweigh the lack of a formal philosophy PhD? Also, how might publishing in non-philosophy journals be perceived—would it strengthen my interdisciplinary appeal or work against me? For context, I hold a master’s degree in philosophy, but my undergraduate degree is in another field.

Hmm, I don't know. The philosophy job market is so competitive that I'm not sure how competitive someone might be with a PhD from another field. I also know that some (many?) job ads state explicitly that a PhD in philosophy is expected or required. But maybe exceptions may be made for exceptional candidates, particularly if they've published in excellent philosophy journals and have a philosophy MA? I'm not sure.

Do any readers have any helpful experiences or other insights to share?

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11 responses to “Obtaining a philosophy job with a PhD in another field?”

  1. R1

    just one piece of data – I am not 100% sure but I believe at my R1 anyone without a PhD in Philosophy is simply removed without much thought before even looking at applications? The exception would be if we were hiring for a very specific field like PPE or philosophy of social sciences. So, for departments conducting a very specific search for which you are an exceptional fit, your file might get looked at (then again, it might still get thrown out depending on who is looking at it – I know some people who probably would simply refuse to ever consider someone without a PhD in philosophy for our dept).
    However, for an open search I can’t imagine anyone without a PhD in Philosophy being considered. There will simply be far too many people who are traditionally qualified, particularly if we are talking about an R1 where people are getting hundreds of applicants, often from people who are already in TT philosophy positions.
    Considering how rare it is for someone to be searching specifically for someone who does philosophy of social science, my guess would be that the chances of getting a job at an R1 in a standard TT philosophy job are extremely slim (far more slim than the average candidate’s). However, there are sometimes cluster hires on particular topics or interdisciplinary programs/schools/projects that specifically want to hire people who do interdisciplinary work. So getting that kind of job might be an option (though I don’t think those jobs are extremely high in number either).
    Either way, I wouldn’t have high hopes for a career in philosophy! The job market in philosophy is bad enough for people with PhDs in philosophy unfortunately.

    Reply
  2. Elizabeth

    I think for an early career person, the chances are virtually non-existent in the US/Canada. However, in the UK things are more fluid with an understanding that many political philosophers get their PhDs in political theory. That was what I did and I did get interviews for philosophy jobs. I wasn’t successful but I don’t think that was because of the subject my PhD was in.

    Reply
  3. academic migrant

    Sorry this is just guessing, but are you considering re-applying for a phd in philosophy? I don’t know the data, but the chance of anyone getting any job in philosophy isn’t great. But of course this depends on the prospects of getting a job in your current field along with how much you’d enjoy doing jobs in your current field. Remember that once you have some stability, you can still publish in philosophy and engage in relevant activities.

    Reply
  4. mossy

    The only instances I have heard of non-Philosophy PhDs being hired into Philosophy positions can be divided into two types.
    (1) the person has become a sort of superstar in a niche subfield and is being recruited.
    (2) the Philosophy department is recruiting for a subfield traditionally underrepresented in Philosophy PhD programs like ancient Indian or Latin American (though grad programs are improving at teaching these subfields) and so the department is more open to other PhDs.
    I think your only chance is if you’re in a specialized subfield that is normally not well represented in Philosophy PhD programs but which some Philosophy departments might nevertheless recruit for. Additionally, although the vast majority of job postings say “must have PhD in Philosophy,” occasionally some say “must have PhD in Philosophy or closely related field” thus indicating some openness.
    Also, for many community college positions, the minimum requirement is often just an MA in Philosophy.

    Reply
  5. Michael Kates

    For what it’s worth, I don’t have a Ph.D. in Philosophy (I instead received one in Political Science/Political Theory), but am now employed (with tenure) in a Philosophy department (although one that is not R1). Although this is rare, my sense is that I was selected for the job because I had a good publication record in philosophy journals (especially ones that were highly rated in my subfield). So, this is definitely possible, but (again) it’s probably not very likely.

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  6. The Real SLAC Prof

    I think it depends very much on which social science field you are in.
    The chances for, say, a sociologist to land a job at an R1 philosophy department seem quite low, but the chances for a political scientist are much higher. I would think that a political scientist, specializing in political theory and from an institution with a strong reputation in political theory, would have a fair shot (i.e., a crap shot but not disproportionally worse than someone with a PhD in philosophy) at getting a job in a philosophy department, especially if they have publications in philosophy journals.

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  7. Michael Kates

    P.S. I should also add that a close friend of mine has done the same thing (Ph.D. in Political Science but now with a job in a Philosophy department), and he is actually in a very strong program at an R1.

    Reply
  8. Chris

    I agree with most of the commentators that it is unlikely, though among social scientists, political theorists might have a shot (if that’s what your focus is).
    At the research level, much political theory/philosophy done in a poli sci department may be virtually indistinguishable – or at least close on a continuumm – to political philosophy done in philosophy departments. If you publish in philosophy journals, you might have a shot (though be careful – for all I know this would make it harder for you to get hired in a poli sci department!)
    However, there is another problem or issue that hasn’t been mentioned yet:
    Teaching.
    Some philosophy departments will want their hire to teach intro to philosophy or logic or ancient or environmental ethics or… Will you get such teaching experience as a political science graduate student? Or will your teaching experience be in subjects such as intro to political science? This can affect your prospects of getting a job. Of course, if your research is SO fancy, an R1 might not care…

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  9. I know a few

    To reiterate what others have said, political theorists trained in analytic theory from a relatively small number of institutions associated with that kind of thing and/or from the UK might have a shot at this if they publish in top philosophy journals. Others are not likely to find success in this route. But if you are a first year PhD student and have discovered that you prefer philosophy to your field, you should reapply to grad school in philosophy.That is a more likely pathway to success.

    Reply
  10. East Asian

    In ancient philosophy, it is not uncommon to land a philosophy job with a Classics Ph.D. I also know of several East Asian studies PhD graduates (including myself) who now have a TT philosophy job in Chinese/East Asian philosophy. This makes sense, insofar as a solid grounding in ancient languages (and cultures, more broadly considered) is the prerequisite for doing a serious philosophical research on these traditions.

    Reply
  11. kapto

    The only cases I know where this move was made successfully involved getting a distinctly philosophy post, or post-doc, after the PhD, and publishing in well-regarded philosophy journal, both before obtaining the TT position in philosophy.
    I should add (a little hesitantly) that in one of those cases the PhD was in economics, where the candidate’s already-published work showed a high degree of technical skill. That shouldn’t have helped, or proved at all relevant, but I’m pretty sure it did. Were the social science doctorate in anthropology, I’d bet against landing the philosophy job too soon thereafter.

    Reply

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