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earth systems science

Types of Degrees earth systems science Majors Are Earning

People majoring in earth systems science may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	27
Master’s Degree	8
Doctor’s Degree	8

What earth systems science Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in earth systems science emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a earth systems science program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to earth systems science careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, earth systems science graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by earth systems science professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Google Meet	Video conferencing software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for earth systems science graduates include:

• Clinical Trials Manager
• Research Coordinator
• Clinical Project Manager
• Piano Teacher
• Social Studies Teacher
• English Teacher
• Trigonometry Teacher
• Organ Teacher
• Voice Teacher
• Guitar Teacher
• Educator
• High School History Teacher
• Classroom Teacher
• Choir Teacher
• High School Biology Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	43.9%
Master’s degree	22.3%
Doctoral degree	10.2%
Post-doctoral training	7.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.1%
Post-master’s certificate	3.0%
Postsecondary certificate	2.7%
Some college courses	2.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.7%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in earth systems science?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 58.1% women and 41.9% men among earth systems science graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	25	58.1%
Men	18	41.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	26	60.5%
Asian	2	4.7%
Hispanic or Latino	5	11.6%
Black or African American	1	2.3%
Two or More Races	1	2.3%
Race Unknown	1	2.3%
International Students	7	16.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

Online earth systems science Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for earth systems 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

^{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
Earth Systems Science	30.38
Environmental Geosciences	30.4101
Climate Science	30.3501

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.