Interdisciplinary Studies

Types of Degrees Interdisciplinary Studies Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	7,810
Associate Degree	639
Master’s Degree	308
Basic Certificate	113
Undergraduate Certificate	110
Doctor’s Degree	47
Graduate Certificate	47

What Interdisciplinary Studies Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, interdisciplinary studies 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 Interdisciplinary Studies Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these 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.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• 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 Interdisciplinary Studies Majors

When studying interdisciplinary studies, 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:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• 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.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 7,810 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies in 2021, making it rank #63 in popularity. The major attracts more women than men. About 61% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of interdisciplinary studies majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	221
Black or African American	1,260
Hispanic or Latino	1,601
White	3,970
International Students	161
Other Races/Ethnicities	597

Geographic Diversity

Interdisciplinary Studies appeals to people across the globe. About 2.1% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• Canada
• South Korea
• Mexico
• India

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that interdisciplinary studies students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree made a median starting salary of $29,629 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $26,594 (25th percentile) and $34,793 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to interdisciplinary studies.

Online Interdisciplinary Studies Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 352 schools offered some type of interdisciplinary studies program. 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)	6	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	2	0
Associate’s Degree	63	22
Bachelor’s Degree	13	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	39	4
Post-Master’s	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	10	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Interdisciplinary Studies

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to interdisciplinary studies.

Major	Number of Grads
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies	34,975
Biological & Physical Science	30,075
International Studies	7,368
Nutrition Science	5,330
Behavioral Science	4,169
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 UTDallas under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.