Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies

Types of Degrees Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	8,669
Basic Certificate	2,633
Master’s Degree	1,931
Associate Degree	872
Graduate Certificate	609
Doctor’s Degree	449
Undergraduate Certificate	91

What Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies 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 Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Majors

Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Foreign Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Skills for Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Majors

area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• 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.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Majors

Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Professors	10.4%	$74,440
Interpreters and Translators	17.7%	$49,930

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies?

This major is dominated by women with about 77% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	741
Black or African American	1,097
Hispanic or Latino	2,300
White	3,206
International Students	360
Other Races/Ethnicities	965

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies, too. About 4.2% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies

Some degrees associated with area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies 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.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.5%
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)	0.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	17.0%
Master’s Degree	29.6%
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.	5.1%
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.	0.8%
Doctoral Degree	41.5%
Post-Doctoral Training	2.7%

Online Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Programs

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)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	74	4
Certificate (2-4 Years)	26	2
Associate’s Degree	472	40
Bachelor’s Degree	492	30
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	762	30
Post-Master’s	92	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	284	2
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	12	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	2	0

Majors Related to Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies.

Major	Number of Grads
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities	511,953
Social Sciences	190,792
Communication & Journalism	109,432
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences	51,926
English Language & Literature	50,299
History	31,255
Foreign Languages & Linguistics	29,738
Theology & Religious Vocations	26,672
Philosophy & Religious Studies	19,301

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 G. Mützel under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.