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General Education

Types of Degrees General Education Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing General Education have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	360
Associate’s Degree	1,931
Bachelor’s Degree	7,330
Master’s Degree	15,448
Doctor’s Degree	2,405

What General Education Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing General Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a General Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to General Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.9 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	3.9 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.9 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Editing software	Word processing software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Education graduates include:

• Lecturer
• Special Education Professor
• Music Education Professor
• Tenure-Track Professor
• Education Teacher
• Educator
• College Professor
• Adjunct Education Professor
• Outdoor Education Instructor
• Education Adjunct Professor
• Primary Education Professor
• Secondary Education Professor
• Instructor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Associate Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	50.9%
Bachelor’s degree	12.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	11.1%
Master’s degree	9.1%
Some college courses	7.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.1%
Postsecondary certificate	3.8%
Less than a high school diploma	0.2%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 79.7% of General Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	21,894	79.7%
Men	5,587	20.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	14,515	52.8%
Asian	1,233	4.5%
Hispanic or Latino	5,578	20.3%
Black or African American	2,718	9.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	151	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	156	0.6%
Two or More Races	939	3.4%
Race Unknown	1,133	4.1%
International Students	1,058	3.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Education Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of General Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$56,718
4 years	$57,194
5 years	$63,573

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $63,573 — roughly 12% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General Education Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for General Education. 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	29	15
Bachelor’s	36	27
Master’s	131	91
Doctoral (Research)	19	12

^{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 General Education Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, General Education graduates earn a median of $57,194 four years after completion — roughly 51% 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
Education	13
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education	13.02
Curriculum and Instruction	13.03
Education, Other	13.99
EDUCATION	13.00
Educational Administration and Supervision	13.04
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research	13.06
Educational/Instructional Media Design	13.05
International and Comparative Education	13.07
Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education	13.09
Special Education and Teaching	13.10
Student Counseling and Personnel Services	13.11

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.