nybrian

I'm deciding what should be my double major
let the debating for my benefit commence!

IAmPOS

Hardly any difference in terms of opportunities after graduating. Just go with whatever interests you more.

BIGeastBEAST

It matters very little, as they both essentially provide the same "skills" and have the same job opportunities (poor ones).

TheRippa

What do you enjoy more and what would you like to do for grad school?

If you don't want to do grad school, then consider getting teacher certification so you can teach history at the secondary school level. However, if you choose philosophy, you must go to grad school if you want to actually "use" philosophy in your job (college professor).

TheRippa

What do you enjoy more and what would you like to do for grad school?

If you don't want to do grad school, then consider getting teacher certification so you can teach history at the secondary school level. However, if you choose philosophy, you must go to grad school if you want to actually "use" philosophy in your job (college professor).

JanofLeiden

Well, no, philosophy and history do not require the same skills. Ignore BigEastBeast, whose cherished philistinism attests to the total vacuity of most college educations - these two majors in fact involve quite different capabilities. History is the chaining together of seemingly disparate information to explain an outcome, generally a process where one plausibly puts together selected sources; philosophy is much more reliant on if x then y logic and relates more closely to mathematics really (although I'm speaking of analytic rather than continental philosophy; continental philosophy merely asks for the ability to decipher barely cogent word soups that occasionally touch on the profound, fun stuff though).

They're both fantastic choices. I say choose both if you can. If only one will do, I'd study history, as it's the most effective way to understand humanity, and this is, as the name attests, the goal of the humanities.

BIGeastBEAST

^^^ To an employer, they are basically the same. Lots of reading and writing.

jingle

There are actually two different questions here, and the different answers you are getting reflect that. Probably most employers won't consider history superior to philosophy or vice versa, so it might not make any difference in what job offers you might get or what salary you will start at. If that's what you're asking, just major in whichever you prefer. However, philosophy and history majors develop rather different transferable skills. Philosophy courses and papers typically emphasize logical argument and close analysis of short, dense texts. History courses/papers emphasize research skills, and (in advanced work) burrowing into an archive to find a pattern in obscure, often disorganized materials. You might think about what kind of jobs your commerce major might qualify you for, and which of these skills would be most useful to you--because once you get your job, you will want to excel at it.

cckerry

I know it is off topic but thought to ask since you are obviously a History junkie like me...
I can't afford Williams or BC or Holy Cross so looking for best STATE School for HISTORY or Pol Sci

CarolynB

cckerry, it sounds like you're in Massachusetts, so I'd recommend UMass Amherst. They've got a gigantic library and the Five-College Consortium.

cckerry

How does Umass compare with UCONN , SUNY Albany and SUNY Bing?

CollegeBd Stats seems to rank them as 1) Bing 2) UCONN 3) SUNY Albany 4) Umass...

BUT I hear Albany has a great history program...

Any insights appreciated ! thx