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Science, Technology & Society

Types of Degrees Science, Technology & Society Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Science, Technology & Society have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	4
Bachelor’s Degree	625
Master’s Degree	123
Doctor’s Degree	36

What Science, Technology & Society Majors Need to Know

Programs in Science, Technology & Society develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Science, Technology & Society graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Science, Technology & Society emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Science, Technology & Society program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Science, Technology & Society careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

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

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Science, Technology & Society graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.2 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.1 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Science, Technology & Society professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
StataCorp Stata	Analytical or scientific software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Science, Technology & Society graduates include:

• University Teacher
• Lecturer
• Labor Relations Teacher
• Flight Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Naval Science Teacher
• Industrial Arts Teacher
• Teacher
• Packaging Professor
• Braille Teacher
• Interior Design Teacher
• City Planning Teacher
• Faculty Member
• Urban Planning Teacher
• Project Management Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Science, Technology & Society graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	53.4%
Master’s degree	12.0%
Postsecondary certificate	7.7%
Some college courses	6.2%
Post-doctoral training	6.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.7%
Doctoral degree	3.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.5%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Science, Technology & Society?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 56.2% women and 43.8% men among Science, Technology & Society graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	443	56.2%
Men	345	43.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Science, Technology & Society graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	375	47.6%
Asian	96	12.2%
Hispanic or Latino	118	15.0%
Black or African American	93	11.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	4	0.5%
Two or More Races	35	4.4%
Race Unknown	15	1.9%
International Students	52	6.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Science, Technology & Society Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Science, Technology & Society 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	$47,991
4 years	$72,006
5 years	$81,090

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $81,090 — roughly 69% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Science, Technology & Society Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Science, Technology & Society. 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	2	0
Master’s	3	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.}

Is a Degree in Science, Technology & Society Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Science, Technology & Society graduates earn a median of $72,006 four years after completion — roughly 89% 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
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
Climate Science	30.35
Cognitive Science	30.25
Computational Science	30.30
Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature	30.36
Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis	30.26

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.