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Nursing Science Major

Nursing Science

1,431 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
1,421 Master's Degrees Annually
#200 in Popularity

Types of Degrees Nursing Science Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many nursing science graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree 1,373
Master’s Degree 1,279
Doctor’s Degree 927
Associate Degree 836
Graduate Certificate 66

What Nursing Science Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, nursing science 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 Nursing Science Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

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  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • 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.

Skills for Nursing Science Majors

A major in nursing science prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

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  • 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.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Nursing Science Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a nursing science student include the following:

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  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Nursing Science Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with nursing science:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Nursing Instructors and Professors 24.0% $73,490
Registered Nurses 14.8% $71,730

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing Science?

1,373 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
87% Percent Women
33% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
The major attracts more women than men. About 87% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of nursing science majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 123
Black or African American 105
Hispanic or Latino 176
White 850
International Students 29
Other Races/Ethnicities 90

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Nursing Science, too. About 2.1% of those with this major are international students.

Some degrees associated with nursing science 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 nursing science have obtained the following education levels.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Some College Courses 5.8%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 36.1%
Bachelor’s Degree 15.1%
Master’s Degree 23.7%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. 1.0%
Doctoral Degree 17.1%
Post-Doctoral Training 3.2%

Online Nursing Science 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) 0 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 12 0
Bachelor’s Degree 5 3
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 63 22
Post-Master’s 8 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 105 26
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 17 4
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 1 0

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to nursing science.

Major Number of Grads
Registered Nursing 253,629
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 15,154
Nursing Practice 9,216
Nursing Administration 8,050
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 4,364
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 3,261
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,295
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,963
Nurse Anesthetist 1,939
Critical Care Nursing 652
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 566
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 538
School Nursing 508
Clinical Nurse Leader 447
Clinical Nurse Specialist 292
Women’s Health Nurse/Nursing 288
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 208
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 135
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 76
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 29
Forensic Nursing 20
Palliative Care Nursing 3

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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