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climate science

Types of Degrees climate science Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing climate science can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	7
Master’s Degree	93

What climate science Majors Need to Know

Studies in climate science build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that climate science graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in climate science emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a climate science program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to climate science careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, climate science graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by climate science professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for climate science graduates include:

• Clinical Project Manager
• Research Coordinator
• Clinical Trials Manager
• Hydrology Teacher
• Geophysics Professor
• Astronomy Professor
• Petrology Teacher
• Stratigraphy Teacher
• Space Studies Faculty Member
• Geological Science Teacher
• Paleontology Teacher
• Oceanic Sciences Professor
• Mineralogy Teacher
• Professor
• Geodesy Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to climate science graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	32.0%
Master’s degree	26.4%
Doctoral degree	15.0%
Post-doctoral training	10.0%
Postsecondary certificate	4.1%
Some college courses	3.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.3%
Post-master’s certificate	1.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in climate science?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 61% of climate science degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	61	61.0%
Men	39	39.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of climate science graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	43	43.0%
Asian	4	4.0%
Hispanic or Latino	12	12.0%
Black or African American	4	4.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	1.0%
Two or More Races	2	2.0%
Race Unknown	6	6.0%
International Students	28	28.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

Online climate science Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for climate science. 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
Bachelor’s	1	0
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Multi Interdisciplinary Studies	30
Accounting and Computer Science	30.16
Anthrozoology	30.34
Behavioral Sciences	30.17
Biological and Physical Sciences	30.01
Biopsychology	30.10
Classical and Ancient Studies	30.22
Cognitive Science	30.25
Computational Science	30.30
Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature	30.36
Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis	30.26
Data Analytics	30.71

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.