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catholic studies

Types of Degrees catholic studies Majors Are Earning

Those studying catholic studies may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	7
Master’s Degree	38
Doctor’s Degree	6

What catholic studies Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Foreign Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a catholic studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to catholic studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, catholic studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by catholic studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
YouTube	Video creation and editing software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	—
Google Drive	Cloud-based data access and sharing software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Social media software	Web page creation and editing software	—
FileMaker Pro	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for catholic studies graduates include:

• University Faculty Member
• Lecturer
• Ethnic Origins Teacher
• Black Studies Professor
• College Professor
• African Studies Professor
• Gender Studies Lecturer
• Ethnic Studies Professor
• Women’s Studies Professor
• American Studies Professor
• Hawaiian Studies Lecturer
• Ethnic Studies Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Adjunct Professor
• Latin American Studies Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	60.5%
Master’s degree	31.0%
Post-doctoral training	4.0%
Post-master’s certificate	3.2%
First professional degree	1.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in catholic studies?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 41.2% women and 58.8% men among catholic studies graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	21	41.2%
Men	30	58.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	44	86.3%
Hispanic or Latino	4	7.8%
Black or African American	1	2.0%
Race Unknown	1	2.0%
International Students	1	2.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do catholic studies Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of catholic studies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$28,787
4 years	$35,631
5 years	$41,557

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $41,557 — roughly 44% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online catholic studies Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for catholic 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
Master’s	2	0
Doctoral (Research)	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.}

Is a Degree in catholic studies Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, catholic studies graduates earn a median of $35,631 four years after completion — about 6% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{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
Religion/Religious Studies	38.02
Buddhist Studies	38.0202
Christian Studies	38.0203
Hindu Studies	38.0204
Islamic Studies	38.0205
Jewish/Judaic Studies	38.0206
Mormon Studies	38.0209
Religion/Religious Studies, Other	38.0299
Religion/Religious Studies	38.0201
Talmudic Studies	38.0207

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.