Alternative Medicine & Systems
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Types of Degrees Alternative Medicine & Systems Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many alternative medicine and systems graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Master’s Degree | 1,286 |
Doctor’s Degree | 1,176 |
Basic Certificate | 358 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 348 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 175 |
Graduate Certificate | 120 |
Associate Degree | 101 |
What Alternative Medicine & Systems 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
Alternative Medicine majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:
- 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
alternative medicine majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:
- 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
Alternative Medicine majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:
- 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 & Systems 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 & Systems?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of alternative medicine majors is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 8 |
Black or African American | 57 |
Hispanic or Latino | 53 |
White | 186 |
International Students | 2 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 42 |
Geographic Diversity
Students from other countries are interested in Alternative Medicine, too. About 0.6% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:
- South Korea
- China
- Taiwan
- Canada
- Japan
How Much Do Alternative Medicine & Systems Majors Make?
Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary
According to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in alternative medicine have a median salary of $25,289 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $23,312 (25th percentile) and $27,082 (75th percentile).
Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a alternative medicine degree.
Salaries According to BLS
Average salaries range from $63,340 to $85,600 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to alternative medicine. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.
To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Alternative Medicine & Systems
Some degrees associated with alternative medicine 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 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 & Systems Programs
In 2020-2021, 94 schools offered a alternative medicine program of some type. 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) | 12 | 1 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 2 | 0 |
Associate’s Degree | 9 | 1 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 16 | 5 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
Master’s Degree | 68 | 7 |
Post-Master’s | 9 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 4 | 1 |
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 27 | 1 |
Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 7 | 1 |
Is a Degree in Alternative Medicine & Systems Worth It?
The median salary for a alternative medicine grad is $63,340 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
This is 59% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $468,800 after 20 years!
Top Ranking Lists for Alternative Medicine & Systems
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Majors Related to Alternative Medicine & Systems
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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