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General Interdisciplinary Studies

Types of Degrees General Interdisciplinary Studies Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Interdisciplinary Studies can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	149
Associate’s Degree	715
Bachelor’s Degree	8,513
Master’s Degree	769
Doctor’s Degree	77

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Interdisciplinary Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 60.4% of General Interdisciplinary Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	6,179	60.4%
Men	4,044	39.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Interdisciplinary Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	5,231	51.2%
Asian	290	2.8%
Hispanic or Latino	1,920	18.8%
Black or African American	1,662	16.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	63	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	37	0.4%
Two or More Races	419	4.1%
Race Unknown	353	3.5%
International Students	248	2.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Interdisciplinary Studies Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of General Interdisciplinary Studies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$37,821
4 years	$44,620
5 years	$50,734

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $50,734 — roughly 34% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online General Interdisciplinary Studies Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for General Interdisciplinary Studies. 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
Associate’s	25	11
Bachelor’s	64	52
Master’s	17	10
Doctoral (Research)	1	1

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

Is a Degree in General Interdisciplinary Studies Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Interdisciplinary Studies graduates earn a median of $44,620 four years after completion — roughly 17% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

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

Program	CIP Code
MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES	30.00
Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary (CTP) Program	30.0001

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.