Alternative Medicine
Types of Degrees Alternative Medicine Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many alternative medicine & systems graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.
| Education Level | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Master’s Degree | 1,300 |
| Doctor’s Degree | 978 |
| Basic Certificate | 368 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 354 |
| Undergraduate Certificate | 257 |
| Graduate Certificate | 95 |
| Associate Degree | 79 |
What Alternative Medicine Majors Need to Know
In an O*NET survey, alternative medicine 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 Alternative Medicine Majors
According to O*NET survey takers, a major in alternative medicine should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:
- Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Skills for Alternative Medicine Majors
When studying alternative medicine, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- 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.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Abilities for Alternative Medicine Majors
As you progress with your alternative medicine degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
What Can You Do With a Alternative Medicine Major?
Below is a list of occupations associated with alternative medicine:
| Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Acupuncturists | 13.3% | $73,960 |
| Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners | 13.3% | $73,960 |
| Midwives | 12.5% | $54,620 |
| Naturopathic Physicians | 13.3% | $73,960 |
| Orthoptists | 13.3% | $73,960 |
Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Alternative Medicine?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of alternative medicine majors is as follows:
| Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Asian | 16 |
| Black or African American | 52 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 66 |
| White | 186 |
| International Students | 5 |
| Other Races/Ethnicities | 29 |
Geographic Diversity
Students from other countries are interested in Alternative Medicine, too. About 1.4% of those with this major are international students.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Alternative Medicine
Some degrees associated with alternative medicine may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.
How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to alternative medicine have obtained the following education levels.
| Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| 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) | 3.3% |
| Some College Courses | 4.9% |
| Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 7.1% |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 7.1% |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. | 26.4% |
| Master’s Degree | 20.8% |
| 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. | 5.0% |
| Doctoral Degree | 25.8% |
| Post-Doctoral Training | 2.6% |
Online Alternative Medicine 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) | 18 | 5 |
| Certificate (2-4 Years) | 2 | 0 |
| Associate’s Degree | 8 | 1 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 17 | 6 |
| Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
| Master’s Degree | 64 | 7 |
| Post-Master’s | 9 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 3 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 28 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 5 | 0 |
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Majors Related to Alternative Medicine
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to alternative medicine.
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 Aphiwat chuangchoem under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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