Placement

The Department of Philosophy is very proud of our graduates and their achievements since completing our doctoral program. We strive to keep current records and welcome updates from our alumni. Please contact our Placement Coordinator to share your news.

Placement Statistics

All-time 1965-2000 2000-present 2000-2010 2010-present
Total graduates 260 118 144 54 97
Post-secondary placements 153 (58.8%) 73 (61.9%) 81 (56.3%) 36 (66.7%) 47 (48.5%)
Private placements 19 (7.3%) 6 (5.1%) 13 (9.0%) 5 (9.3%) 9 (9.3%)
Public placements 9 (3.5%) 0 (0.0%) 9 (6.3%) 1 (1.9%) 9 (9.3%)
Unknown 79 (30.4%) 39 (33.1%) 41 (28.5%) 12 (22.2%) 32 (33.0%)
Average time to first position (when known) 16.4 Months 29.3 Months 8.5 Months 16.9 Months 5.2 Months

 

Locations of known placements

Canada US Outside Canada and US
Known placements: 117 (66.9%) 38 (21.7%) 20 (11.4%)
Updated: June 2021

 

Career Development

Western University offers a variety of excellent resources for you to invest in your personal and professional growth. The Career Development site is a central resource that lists all professional development resources available to graduate students, including online modules and discipline-specific resources. 

ownyourfuture

Own Your Future is a four-year curriculum-driven doctoral professional development program which runs workshops and provides resources and assessment tools for current graduate students. 

Featured Alumni

jacquart

Melissa Jacquart
PhD 2016, MA 2012

Tenure-track Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati

Website
Melissa Jacquart is an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department at the University of Cincinnati and Associate Director for the University of Cincinnati Center for Public Engagement with Science. Her research focuses on epistemological issues in the philosophy of science, specifically on the use of models and computer simulations in astrophysics. Her research also examines the role philosophy can play in general public engagement with science, and in science education in particular. She also works on philosophy of education, and is particularly interested in developing effective teaching methodologies for philosophy. Prior to Cincinnati, she was a postdoctoral researcher working in the Philosophy Department at the University of Pennsylvania and the Carnegie Observatories. 

More Alumni Updates