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regulatory science/affairs

Types of Degrees regulatory science/affairs Majors Are Earning

People majoring in regulatory science/affairs can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	32
Master’s Degree	74

What regulatory science/affairs Majors Need to Know

Programs in regulatory science/affairs develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that regulatory science/affairs graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing regulatory science/affairs emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a regulatory science/affairs program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to regulatory science/affairs careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, regulatory science/affairs graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by regulatory science/affairs professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for regulatory science/affairs graduates include:

• Compliance Analyst
• Compliance Coordinator
• Regulatory Compliance Specialist
• Regulatory Analyst
• Compliance Investigator
• Environmental Compliance Inspector
• Appeals Coordinator
• Civil Rights Representative
• Action Officer
• Civil Rights Investigator
• Equal Employment Opportunity Officer (EEO Officer)
• Human Rights Officer
• Equal Opportunity Specialist
• Equal Opportunity Counselor
• Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist (EEO Specialist)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to regulatory science/affairs graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	55.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	10.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	8.5%
Master’s degree	8.0%
Some college courses	6.5%
Postsecondary certificate	5.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.0%
First professional degree	1.1%
Post-doctoral training	0.9%
Less than a high school diploma	0.4%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in regulatory science/affairs?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 87.7% of regulatory science/affairs degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	93	87.7%
Men	13	12.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of regulatory science/affairs graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	48	45.3%
Asian	8	7.5%
Hispanic or Latino	17	16.0%
Black or African American	5	4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	2.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.9%
Two or More Races	7	6.6%
Race Unknown	14	13.2%
International Students	3	2.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do regulatory science/affairs Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of regulatory science/affairs 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	$36,041
4 years	$36,054
5 years	$40,847

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $40,847 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online regulatory science/affairs Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for regulatory science/affairs. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	1	0
Master’s	3	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in regulatory science/affairs Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, regulatory science/affairs graduates earn a median of $36,054 four years after completion — about 5% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{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
Health and Medical Administrative Services	51.07
Clinical Research Coordinator	51.0719
Disease Registry Data Management	51.0721
Health and Medical Administrative Services, Other	51.0799
Health Information/Medical Records Administration/Administrator	51.0706
Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician	51.0707
Health Unit Coordinator/Ward Clerk	51.0703
Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor	51.0704
Health/Health Care Administration/Management	51.0701
Health/Medical Claims Examiner	51.0715
Healthcare Information Privacy Assurance and Security	51.0723
Healthcare Innovation	51.0722

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.