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Insurance

Types of Degrees Insurance Majors Are Earning

Those studying Insurance can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	19
Associate’s Degree	15
Bachelor’s Degree	1,130
Master’s Degree	981

What Insurance Majors Need to Know

Programs in Insurance emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Insurance graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Insurance emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Insurance program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Insurance careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Insurance graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Processing Information	3.9 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Insurance professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS	Medical software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Insurance graduates include:

• Solicitor
• Sales Representative
• Sales Special Agent
• Group Insurance Special Agent
• Sales Associate
• Sales Specialist
• Insurance Specialist
• Insurance Representative
• Sales Agent
• Insurance Sales Representative (Insurance Sales Rep)
• Account Specialist
• Health Insurance Sales Agent
• Commercial Lines Account Manager
• District Agent
• Insurance Agent

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Insurance graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	45.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	12.4%
Some college courses	10.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	8.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	5.8%
Postsecondary certificate	5.7%
Doctoral degree	4.9%
Master’s degree	4.6%
First professional degree	2.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Insurance?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 67.9% of Insurance degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	690	32.1%
Men	1,457	67.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Insurance graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,357	63.2%
Asian	81	3.8%
Hispanic or Latino	163	7.6%
Black or African American	95	4.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.0%
Two or More Races	53	2.5%
Race Unknown	345	16.1%
International Students	50	2.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Insurance Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Insurance graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$64,199
4 years	$77,212
5 years	$90,335

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $90,335 — roughly 41% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Insurance Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Insurance. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	5	2
Bachelor’s	5	5
Master’s	5	2

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Insurance Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Insurance graduates earn a median of $77,212 four years after completion — roughly 103% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Business Management Marketing Sales	52
Accounting and Related Services	52.03
Business Administration, Management and Operations	52.02
Business Operations Support and Assistant Services	52.04
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other	52.99
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES	52.00
Business/Commerce, General	52.01
Business/Corporate Communications	52.05
Business/Managerial Economics	52.06
Construction Management	52.20
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	52.07
Finance and Financial Management Services	52.08

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.