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U.S. & Canadian Studies

Types of Degrees U.S. & Canadian Studies Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing U.S. & Canadian Studies may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	1
Bachelor’s Degree	44
Master’s Degree	603
Doctor’s Degree	32

What U.S. & Canadian Studies Majors Need to Know

Programs in U.S. & Canadian Studies develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that U.S. & Canadian Studies graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in U.S. & Canadian Studies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Foreign Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a U.S. & Canadian Studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to U.S. & Canadian Studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, U.S. & Canadian Studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by U.S. & Canadian Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Google Drive	Cloud-based data access and sharing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for U.S. & Canadian Studies graduates include:

• Hawaiian Studies Lecturer
• Faculty Lecturer
• Ethnic Studies Teacher
• Assistant Professor
• Adjunct Professor
• Gender Studies Professor
• Ethnology Professor
• Professor
• Ethnic Origins Teacher
• College Professor
• Lecturer
• Gender Studies Lecturer
• American Studies Professor
• Associate Professor
• Latin American Studies Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to U.S. & Canadian Studies graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	60.5%
Master’s degree	31.0%
Post-doctoral training	4.0%
Post-master’s certificate	3.2%
First professional degree	1.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in U.S. & Canadian Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 68.4% of U.S. & Canadian Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	215	31.6%
Men	465	68.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of U.S. & Canadian Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	282	41.5%
Asian	47	6.9%
Hispanic or Latino	139	20.4%
Black or African American	29	4.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	6	0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.3%
Two or More Races	6	0.9%
Race Unknown	18	2.6%
International Students	151	22.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do U.S. & Canadian Studies Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of U.S. & Canadian Studies 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	$37,815
4 years	$54,317
5 years	$64,382

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $64,382 — roughly 70% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in U.S. & Canadian Studies Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, U.S. & Canadian Studies graduates earn a median of $54,317 four years after completion — roughly 43% 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
Area Studies	05.01
African Studies	05.0101
American/United States Studies/Civilization	05.0102
Appalachian Studies	05.0135
Arctic Studies	05.0136
Area Studies, Other	05.0199
Asian Studies/Civilization	05.0103
Balkans Studies	05.0116
Baltic Studies	05.0117
Canadian Studies	05.0115
Caribbean Studies	05.0119
Chinese Studies	05.0123

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.