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comparative group studies

Types of Degrees comparative group studies Majors Are Earning

Those studying comparative group studies may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	36
Master’s Degree	6
Doctor’s Degree	4

What comparative group studies Majors Need to Know

Coursework for comparative group studies emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that comparative group studies graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in comparative group 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 built by a comparative group 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 Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to comparative group studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 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, comparative group 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 comparative group studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	—
YouTube	Video creation and editing software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for comparative group studies graduates include:

• Women’s Studies Professor
• Ethnic Studies Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Lecturer
• Adjunct Professor
• Faculty Lecturer
• Assistant Professor
• Hawaiian Studies Lecturer
• College Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Gender Studies Lecturer
• Professor
• Black Studies Professor
• Ethnic Studies Professor
• Asian Studies Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to comparative group 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 comparative group studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 93.5% of comparative group studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	43	93.5%
Men	3	6.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of comparative group studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	15	32.6%
Asian	5	10.9%
Hispanic or Latino	18	39.1%
Black or African American	5	10.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	2.2%
Two or More Races	2	4.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do comparative group studies Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of comparative group 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	$32,619
4 years	$46,128
5 years	$53,144

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $53,144 — roughly 63% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in comparative group studies Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, comparative group studies graduates earn a median of $46,128 four years after completion — roughly 21% 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
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies	05.02
African-American/Black Studies	05.0201
American Indian/Native American Studies	05.0202
Asian-American Studies	05.0206
Deaf Studies	05.0211
Disability Studies	05.0210
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other	05.0299
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies	05.0200
Folklore Studies	05.0209
Gay/Lesbian Studies	05.0208
Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies	05.0203
Women’s Studies	05.0207

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.