Pharmaceutical Sciences

Types of Degrees Pharmaceutical Sciences Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	1,172
Master’s Degree	361
Doctor’s Degree	236
Basic Certificate	16
Associate Degree	5
Graduate Certificate	2

What Pharmaceutical Sciences Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to pharmaceutical sciences and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Pharmaceutical Sciences Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in pharmaceutical sciences 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.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Pharmaceutical Sciences Majors

pharmaceutical sciences majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• 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.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

Abilities for Pharmaceutical Sciences Majors

A major in pharmaceutical sciences will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 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.
• 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.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Pharmaceutical Sciences Major?

People with a pharmaceutical sciences degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	13.4%	$84,810
Pharmacists	5.6%	$126,120

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences?

The major attracts more women than men. About 67% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of pharmaceutical sciences majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	261
Black or African American	113
Hispanic or Latino	84
White	597
International Students	46
Other Races/Ethnicities	71

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Pharmaceutical Sciences. About 3.9% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Pharmaceutical Sciences

Some degrees associated with pharmaceutical sciences 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for pharmaceutical sciences careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Bachelor’s Degree	7.3%
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.	6.9%
Master’s Degree	11.0%
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.	0.2%
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.	21.2%
Doctoral Degree	33.4%
Post-Doctoral Training	20.3%

Online Pharmaceutical Sciences 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	1	0
Bachelor’s Degree	6	5
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	51	3
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	34	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Pharmaceutical Sciences

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to pharmaceutical sciences.

Major	Number of Grads
Pharmacy	13,599
Other Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration	1,258
Pharmaceutics and Drug Design	553
Industrial and Physical Pharmacy and Cosmetic Sciences	408
Natural Products Chemistry and Pharmacognosy	239
Clinical and Industrial Drug Development	224
Pharmacy Administration and Pharmacy Policy and Regulatory Affairs	216
Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry	211
Pharmacoeconomics/Pharmaceutical Economics	139
Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management	61
Clinical, Hospital, and Managed Care Pharmacy	29

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 {} under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.