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Pharmaceutical Sciences

Types of Degrees Pharmaceutical Sciences Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Pharmaceutical Sciences can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	1
Bachelor’s Degree	1,458
Master’s Degree	515
Doctor’s Degree	218

What Pharmaceutical Sciences Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Pharmaceutical Sciences 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

The skill set developed in a Pharmaceutical Sciences 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

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Pharmaceutical Sciences 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, Pharmaceutical Sciences 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 Pharmaceutical Sciences professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
Material safety data sheet MSDS software	Compliance software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
TechSmith Snagit	Graphics or photo imaging software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Pharmaceutical Sciences graduates include:

• Clinical Instructor
• Therapy Teacher
• Occupational Therapy Teacher
• Prosthetic Aides Teacher
• Occupational Therapy Professor
• Gynecology Teacher
• Gastroenterology Professor
• Oxygen Therapy Teacher
• Health and Safety Instructor
• Teacher
• Osteopathic Medicine Teacher
• Nutrition Professor
• Physical Medicine Teacher
• Music Therapy Teacher
• Nutrition Aides Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Pharmaceutical Sciences 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.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 65.7% of Pharmaceutical Sciences degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,441	65.7%
Men	751	34.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Pharmaceutical Sciences graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	845	38.5%
Asian	350	16.0%
Hispanic or Latino	243	11.1%
Black or African American	162	7.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	6	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.2%
Two or More Races	58	2.6%
Race Unknown	63	2.9%
International Students	461	21.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Pharmaceutical Sciences 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	$100,486
4 years	$129,383
5 years	$140,029

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $140,029 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Pharmaceutical Sciences Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Pharmaceutical Sciences. 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
Master’s	7	1
Doctoral (Research)	1	1

^{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 Pharmaceutical Sciences Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Pharmaceutical Sciences graduates earn a median of $129,383 four years after completion — roughly 240% 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
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration	51.20
Clinical and Industrial Drug Development	51.2006
Clinical, Hospital, and Managed Care Pharmacy	51.2008
Industrial and Physical Pharmacy and Cosmetic Sciences	51.2009
Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry	51.2004
Natural Products Chemistry and Pharmacognosy	51.2005
Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management	51.2011
Pharmaceutics and Drug Design	51.2003
Pharmacoeconomics/Pharmaceutical Economics	51.2007
Pharmacy Administration and Pharmacy Policy and Regulatory Affairs	51.2002
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Other	51.2099
Pharmacy	51.2001

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.