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Behavioral Science Major

Behavioral Science

1,814 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
1,148 Master's Degrees Annually
#135 in Popularity

Types of Degrees Behavioral Science Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many behavioral 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 1,746
Master’s Degree 1,629
Associate Degree 789
Basic Certificate 298
Doctor’s Degree 150
Graduate Certificate 111
Undergraduate Certificate 54

What Behavioral Science Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to behavioral science 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 Behavioral Science Majors

Behavioral Science majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

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  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Skills for Behavioral Science Majors

When studying behavioral science, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

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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.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Abilities for Behavioral Science Majors

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

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  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • 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.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Behavioral Science Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with behavioral science:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Community and Social Service Specialists 13.2% $42,620
Life Scientists 9.0% $78,190
Neuropsychologists and Clinical Neuropsychologists 10.3% $100,770
Transportation Planners 6.7% $81,340

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

1,746 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
79% Percent Women
38% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 1,814 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science in 2021, making it rank #135 in popularity. The major attracts more women than men. About 79% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 115
Black or African American 194
Hispanic or Latino 259
White 961
International Students 72
Other Races/Ethnicities 145

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Behavioral Science. About 4.1% of those with this major are international students.

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

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Bachelor’s Degree 36.2%
Master’s Degree 12.1%
Doctoral Degree 4.0%
Post-Doctoral Training 48.2%

Online Behavioral 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) 2 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 31 9
Bachelor’s Degree 13 4
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 31 4
Post-Master’s 4 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 23 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 1 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

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

Major Number of Grads
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 29,596
Biological & Physical Science 28,469
Interdisciplinary Studies 9,341
Data Analytics 7,294
International Studies 6,458
Nutrition Science 5,514
Data Science 4,416
Sustainability Science 4,382
Cognitive Science 2,959
Human Computer Interaction 2,324
Natural Sciences 2,275
Computational Science 2,167
Human Biology 2,016
Mathematics & Computer Science 1,489
Systems Theory 1,080
Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution 1,074
Gerontology 951
Museum Studies 892
Geography and Environmental Studies 809
Science, Technology & Society 805
Dispute Resolution 652
Multicultural & Diversity Studies 584
Marine Science 436
Historic Preservation 423
Cultural Studies & Analysis 375
Classical & Ancient Studies 290
Biopsychology 208
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics 153
Mathematical Economics 139
Climate Science 110
Medieval Studies 105
Environmental Geosciences 102
Economics and Computer Science 89
Maritime Studies 68
History and Political Science 68
Holocaust Studies 67
Accounting & Computer Science 55
Digital Humanities and Textual Studies 54
Anthrozoology 47
Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature 40
Earth Systems Science 25
Economics and Foreign Language/Literature 12
Thanatology 8
Linguistics and Computer Science 4
History and Language/Literature 1
Linguistics and Anthropology 1
Geoarcheaology 1
Geobiology 0

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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