Go Bulldogs! What Did Phil Dunphy Go to College for on ‘Modern Family’?

Some of the characters in the comedy series, Modern Family, make their Alma Maters known, while others don’t really mention where they attended school.

For Phil Dunphy, attending college was one of his favorite things, even being a cheerleader and an amateur magician while he was studying there.

Phil Dunphy loved college and his Alma Mater

Although his school is unnamed, Phil Dunphy attended and loved college. He was even a cheerleader. When it came time for Haley to go to college, Phil decided to bring her to his alma mater, showing her around the campus and sitting in on a class. The real purpose was to get Haley excited about doing something after high school.

“Go bullfrogs,” Claire said in their confessional. Phil was quick to correct her, saying their mascot is the bulldog. Viewers even saw Phil “barking” with his old college friends while on the phone. 

According to Modern Family Fandom, “during college, he had a roommate, Ling a fellow cheerleader who would later be mentioned to having built his own helicopter.” He had a rival in college named Glen Whipple, captain of the cheerleading squad who can also breakdance and perform magic like Phil.”

Phil Dunphy is a proud realtor

Regardless of his mysterious college major, Phil Dunphy eventually became a real estate agent in California. During one episode, Phil learns that he could’ve worked at a Magic Shop if Claire hadn’t said he wasn’t interested. Regardless, Phil loves his job and “thinking inside the box.” 

Unfortunately, Phil Dunphy isn’t the best realtor in the area. That title is reserved for his business rival and personal nemesis, Gil Thorpe. (Gil Thorpe even told the kids that he sold a house to Kobe Bryant during Luke and Manny’s career day at school.)

What did Claire Dunphy go to college for?

Phil calls her school a “party school,” but viewers never know exactly where Claire Dunphy went to school. Although Claire Dunphy’s college is unnamed, fans did learn that she went to school for marketing and worked for a little bit before having Haley, Alex, and Luke. 

She returned to the business world when the kids grew up, working alongside her dad at Pritchett’s Closets. A few other characters in this Modern Family attended college. 

That includes Cameron Tucker, who attended both clown college and the University of Illinois, playing football there. Mitchell Pritchett went to Cornell University before attending Columbia University to study law. Alex Dunphy, the middle child of Phil and Claire, went to Caltech.

Although this comedy series came to an end, fans can catch up with cast members on social media, some of whom went on to work for Disney and Pixar on projects like Sofia the First and Finding Dory. Some episodes of Modern Family are available for streaming on Hulu.