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tropical medicine

What tropical medicine Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in tropical medicine emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a tropical medicine program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to tropical medicine careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, tropical medicine graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by tropical medicine professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Adobe Presenter	Computer based training software	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Articulate Rapid E-Learning Studio	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for tropical medicine graduates include:

• Lecturer
• Anesthesiology Teacher
• Dentistry Teacher
• Occupational Therapy Aides Teacher
• Dentistry Professor
• Clinical Laboratory Service Teacher
• Instructor
• Physical Therapy Professor
• Veterinary Science Teacher
• Public Health Teacher
• Public Health Aides Teacher
• Inhalation Therapy Aides Teacher
• Nutrition Teacher
• Faculty Member
• Pharmacy Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to tropical medicine graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	34.9%
Doctoral degree	25.9%
Post-doctoral training	19.6%
Bachelor’s degree	12.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.2%
Postsecondary certificate	2.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.6%

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

How Much Do tropical medicine Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of tropical medicine graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$160,729
4 years	$166,630
5 years	$197,894

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $197,894 — roughly 23% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in tropical medicine Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, tropical medicine graduates earn a median of $166,630 four years after completion — roughly 338% 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
Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies	51.14
Clinical and Translational Science	51.1402
Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies, Other	51.1499
Medical Science/Scientist	51.1401
Pain Management	51.1403
Temporomandibular Disorders and Orofacial Pain	51.1404

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.