Management Sciences & Methods

Types of Degrees Management Sciences & Methods Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many management sciences and quantitative methods graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	12,583
Bachelor’s Degree	8,738
Graduate Certificate	1,451
Basic Certificate	715
Doctor’s Degree	102
Associate’s Degree	81
Undergraduate Certificate	68

What Management Sciences & Methods Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, management science majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Management Science Majors

Management Science majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Management Science Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to management science:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Abilities for Management Science Majors

A major in management science will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Management Sciences & Methods Major?

People with a management science degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Actuaries	22.5%	$102,880
Business Professors	18.0%	$83,960
General and Operations Managers	9.1%	$100,930
Mathematical Science Professors	9.4%	$73,230
Operations Research Analysts	27.5%	$83,390
Statisticians	33.9%	$87,780
Survey Researchers	2.1%	$57,700

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Management Sciences & Methods?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 8,738 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in management sciences and quantitative methods in 2019, making it rank #56 in popularity. This major attracts more men than women. About 59% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of management science majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1,144
Black or African American	443
Hispanic or Latino	748
White	4,668
International Students	1,238
Other Races/Ethnicities	497

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Management Science, too. About 14.2% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• India
• Malaysia
• Taiwan
• South Korea

How Much Do Management Sciences & Methods Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that management sciences and quantitative methods students who graduated in 2015-2017 with a bachelor’s degree made a median starting salary of $51,700 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $41,650 (25th percentile) and $58,900 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to management science.

Salaries According to BLS

Management Science majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $87,140 to $116,250 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Management Sciences & Methods

Some degrees associated with management science may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for management science careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	3.7%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.6%
Some College Courses	4.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.2%
Bachelor’s Degree	32.1%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	8.7%
Master’s Degree	24.9%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	2.6%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.7%
Doctoral Degree	15.9%
Post-Doctoral Training	1.8%

Online Management Sciences & Methods Programs

In the 2018-2019 academic year, 457 schools offered some type of management sciences and quantitative methods program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	44	7
Certificate (1-2 years)	10	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	1
Associate’s Degree	9	3
Bachelor’s Degree	91	28
Post-Baccalaureate	44	7
Master’s Degree	297	78
Post-Master’s	16	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	21	3
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Management Sciences & Methods Worth It?

The median salary for a management science grad is $92,600 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 132% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,054,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Management Sciences & Methods

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to management science.

Major	Number of Grads
Business Administration & Management	410,147
Accounting	105,123
General Business/Commerce	58,451
Finance & Financial Management	56,186
Marketing	51,241
Human Resource Management	26,823
Business Support & Assistant Services	19,483
Hospitality Management	19,042
Management Information Systems	14,747
Entrepreneurial Studies	10,427
International Business	10,181
Business/Managerial Economics	6,345
Specialized Sales, Merchandising & Marketing	5,873
Other Business, Management & Marketing	5,834
General Sales & Marketing	5,734
Real Estate	5,700
Construction Management	3,664
Insurance	2,218
Taxation	1,783
Business/Corporate Communications	968
Telecommunications Management	71

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By в±® under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.