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Gay/Lesbian Studies

Types of Degrees Gay/Lesbian Studies Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Gay/Lesbian Studies can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	5
Master’s Degree	71

What Gay/Lesbian Studies Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Gay/Lesbian Studies develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Gay/Lesbian Studies graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Gay/Lesbian 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 emphasized by a Gay/Lesbian 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.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Gay/Lesbian 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.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Gay/Lesbian 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 Gay/Lesbian Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
YouTube	Video creation and editing software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Gay/Lesbian Studies graduates include:

• Adjunct Professor
• Black Studies Professor
• African Studies Professor
• Ethnic Origins Teacher
• Ethnic Studies Teacher
• College Faculty Member
• Faculty Lecturer
• College Professor
• Gender Studies Professor
• Women’s Studies Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Ethnology Teacher
• Latin American Studies Professor
• American Studies Professor
• Lecturer

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Gay/Lesbian 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 Gay/Lesbian Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 77.6% of Gay/Lesbian Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	59	77.6%
Men	17	22.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Gay/Lesbian Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	54	71.1%
Asian	4	5.3%
Hispanic or Latino	9	11.8%
Black or African American	3	3.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	1.3%
Two or More Races	2	2.6%
Race Unknown	1	1.3%
International Students	2	2.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Gay/Lesbian Studies Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Gay/Lesbian Studies 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	$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 Gay/Lesbian Studies Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Gay/Lesbian 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
Comparative Group Studies	05.0212
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
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.