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Individualized Studies

Types of Degrees Individualized Studies Majors Are Earning

Those studying Individualized Studies have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	18,191
Associate’s Degree	16,812
Bachelor’s Degree	2,894
Master’s Degree	7,946
Doctor’s Degree	11

Who Is Earning a Degree in Individualized Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 61.1% of Individualized Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	28,042	61.1%
Men	17,847	38.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Individualized Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	27,046	58.9%
Asian	2,011	4.4%
Hispanic or Latino	4,767	10.4%
Black or African American	7,126	15.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	295	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	89	0.2%
Two or More Races	2,058	4.5%
Race Unknown	1,723	3.8%
International Students	774	1.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Individualized Studies Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Individualized Studies 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	$32,164
4 years	$37,934
5 years	$44,008

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $44,008 — roughly 37% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Individualized Studies Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Individualized Studies. 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
Associate’s	69	45
Bachelor’s	20	36
Master’s	4	4

^{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 Individualized Studies Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Individualized Studies graduates earn a median of $37,934 four years after completion — essentially in line with 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
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities	24.01
General Studies	24.0102
Humanities/Humanistic Studies	24.0103
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies	24.0101

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.