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institutional research

Types of Degrees institutional research Majors Are Earning

Those studying institutional research may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	7

What institutional research Majors Need to Know

Studies in institutional research build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that institutional research graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

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

• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a institutional research program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, institutional research graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Analyzing Data or Information	4.6 / 7
Working with Computers	4.6 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.5 / 7
Processing Information	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Providing Consultation and Advice to Others	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by institutional research professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	✓
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	—
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
StataCorp Stata	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for institutional research graduates include:

• Survey Analyst
• Records Management Analyst
• Management Systems Auditor
• Clerical Methods Analyst
• Technical Business Analyst
• Health Information Management Business Analyst (HIM Business Analyst)
• Business Analyst
• Program Analyst
• Performance Management Analyst
• Management Scientist
• Business Development Analyst
• Management Analyst
• Business Process Analyst
• Health Program Analyst
• Forms Analyst

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	40.6%
Bachelor’s degree	38.5%
Some college courses	6.4%
Doctoral degree	5.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.6%
Post-doctoral training	1.6%
First professional degree	0.3%
Post-master’s certificate	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in institutional research?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 57.1% women and 42.9% men among institutional research graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	4	57.1%
Men	3	42.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	3	42.9%
Black or African American	2	28.6%
International Students	2	28.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do institutional research Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of institutional research 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	$62,037
4 years	$57,700
5 years	$64,541

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $64,541 — roughly 4% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in institutional research Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, institutional research graduates earn a median of $57,700 four years after completion — roughly 52% 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
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research	13.06
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research, Other	13.0699
Educational Assessment, Testing, and Measurement	13.0604
Educational Evaluation and Research	13.0601
Educational Statistics and Research Methods	13.0603
Learning Sciences	13.0607

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.