Behavioral Science

Types of Degrees Behavioral Science Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many behavioral science graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	1,814
Master’s Degree	1,148
Associate Degree	795
Basic Certificate	171
Doctor’s Degree	138
Graduate Certificate	72
Undergraduate Certificate	31

What Behavioral Science Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, behavioral 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 Behavioral Science Majors

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

• 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

behavioral science majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• 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

As you progress with your behavioral science degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• 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?

People with a behavioral science degree often go into the following careers:

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?

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. This major is dominated by women with about 81% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	96
Black or African American	270
Hispanic or Latino	280
White	874
International Students	23
Other Races/Ethnicities	271

Geographic Diversity

Behavioral Science appeals to people across the globe. About 1.3% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• Canada
• India
• Malaysia
• China
• South Korea

How Much Do Behavioral Science Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

According to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science have a median salary of $32,579 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $29,935 (25th percentile) and $32,579 (75th percentile).

Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a behavioral science degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $46,050 to $89,150 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to behavioral science. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Behavioral Science

Some degrees associated with behavioral science may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for behavioral science careers below.

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

In 2020-2021, 128 schools offered a behavioral science program of some type. 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	29	8
Bachelor’s Degree	13	3
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	28	3
Post-Master’s	4	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	19	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Behavioral Science Worth It?

The median salary for a behavioral science grad is $85,750 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 115% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $917,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Behavioral Science

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

Major	Number of Grads
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies	34,975
Biological & Physical Science	30,075
Interdisciplinary Studies	9,074
International Studies	7,368
Nutrition Science	5,330
Sustainability Science	3,005
Cognitive Science	2,776
Natural Sciences	2,214
Human Biology	1,939
Human Computer Interaction	1,857
Computational Science	1,360
Data Analytics	1,338
Mathematics & Computer Science	1,302
Gerontology	1,234
Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution	1,175
Science, Technology & Society	1,095
Systems Theory	884
Museum Studies	816
Dispute Resolution	648
Data Science	541
Multicultural & Diversity Studies	482
Historic Preservation	416
Cultural Studies & Analysis	405
Marine Science	334
Classical & Ancient Studies	275
Biopsychology	183
Medieval Studies	104
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics	97
History and Political Science	66
Holocaust Studies	66
Maritime Studies	50
Accounting & Computer Science	48
Earth Systems Science	44
Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature	42
Geography and Environmental Studies	40
Environmental Geosciences	20
Anthrozoology	13
Digital Humanities and Textual Studies	12
Mathematical Economics	10
Linguistics and Computer Science	6
Linguistics and Anthropology	4
Economics and Computer Science	2
History and Language/Literature	0
Thanatology	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.

• 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 Polimerek under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.