<p>I currently am a second year at the University of Chicago who is planning on majoring in philosophy. I have been toying lately with attending grad school and earning my Ph.D. in the field, as I have long considered entering academia. And, from what I hear, getting a job at a university requires that one attend a top Ph.D. program, since positions are few and far between.</p>
<p>My question is, Are there any useful web sites out there that rank Ph.D. programs at universities? Also, I am wondering about acceptance statistics, though there always is that "get your foot in the door by means of a good recommendation from your prof" way...</p>
<p>You might be interested to know that Brian Leiter, the professor who runs the Philosophical Gourmet rankings, will be moving from UT-Austin to the University of Chicago law school this summer. Just something to think about, if you decide to do law/philosophy combined graduate degrees....</p>
<p>And from the little I know, it's not so much the name of the university where you get your doctorate that matters as it is the scholarly output of the faculty and the professional networking opportunities they can provide. Look at the Philosophical Gourmet rankings and you might find that the University of Pittsburgh, hardly an 'elite' school in the conventional sense, ranks above Harvard and Yale..... so, names aren't everything.</p>
<p>Thank you so much, 2blue and herodotus53. I will check out the Philosophical Gourmet, which should come of much use.</p>
<p>I have considered going into law from philosophy, since the transition seems a doable one and even similar in ways. However, I have considered many things, so options are wide open. </p>
<p>Yes, I, too, have heard that what matters for job placement are the faculty members, their scholarly output, and hence, the connections they bring. Essentially, one should go to the school where the professor who specializes in the subject of interest is rather than to a grad school for name.</p>