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thanatology

Types of Degrees thanatology Majors Are Earning

Those studying thanatology have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	6

What thanatology Majors Need to Know

Coursework for thanatology develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that thanatology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in thanatology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a thanatology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to thanatology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, thanatology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by thanatology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Corel WordPerfect Office Suite	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for thanatology graduates include:

• Faculty Member
• Teacher
• Assistant Professor
• Lecturer
• Instructor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Associate Professor
• Interior Design Teacher
• Industrial Arts Teacher
• Computer Technology Instructor
• Weight Control Lecturer
• University Teacher
• Metal Crafts Teacher
• Packaging Professor
• Flight Simulation Instructor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	20.9%
Master’s degree	19.4%
Doctoral degree	18.9%
Bachelor’s degree	18.8%
Post-doctoral training	10.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.6%
Postsecondary certificate	3.4%
Post-master’s certificate	2.5%
First professional degree	0.5%
Some college courses	0.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in thanatology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 83.3% of thanatology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	5	83.3%
Men	1	16.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	4	66.7%
Hispanic or Latino	1	16.7%
Race Unknown	1	16.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

Online thanatology Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for thanatology. 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
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
Thanatology	30.53
Contemplative Studies/Inquiry	30.2502
Behavioral Sciences	30.1701

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.