Physical Sciences

Types of Degrees Physical Sciences Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many physical sciences graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	28,585
Master’s Degree	7,174
Doctor’s Degree	6,581
Associate Degree	4,829
Basic Certificate	258
Graduate Certificate	256
Undergraduate Certificate	26

What Physical Sciences Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to physical sciences and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Physical Sciences Majors

Physical Sciences majors often go into careers in which the following 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.

Skills for Physical Sciences Majors

A major in physical sciences prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

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

Abilities for Physical Sciences Majors

As you progress with your physical sciences degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Physical Sciences Major?

People with a physical sciences degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Atmospheric and Space Scientists	12.5%	$94,110
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Professors	9.9%	$90,860
Chemistry Professors	9.9%	$79,550
Chemists	6.5%	$76,890
Clinical Research Coordinators	9.9%	$123,860
Environmental Science Professors	10.1%	$79,910
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health	11.1%	$71,130
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers	14.1%	$91,130
Hydrologists	10.4%	$79,370
Industrial Ecologists	11.1%	$71,130
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860
Physicists	14.5%	$120,950
Physics Postsecondary Professors	10.2%	$90,800
Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists	6.8%	$107,230
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320
Water Resource Specialists	9.9%	$123,860

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Sciences?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 55% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of physical sciences majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	2,783
Black or African American	1,426
Hispanic or Latino	3,811
White	16,387
International Students	2,025
Other Races/Ethnicities	2,153

Geographic Diversity

Physical Sciences appeals to people across the globe. About 7.1% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Physical Sciences

Some degrees associated with physical sciences may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to physical sciences have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.8%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	0.5%
Some College Courses	2.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	33.0%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	3.5%
Master’s Degree	25.7%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	1.2%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.3%
Doctoral Degree	19.5%
Post-Doctoral Training	11.8%

Online Physical Sciences Programs

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)	62	4
Certificate (2-4 Years)	2	0
Associate’s Degree	1,448	74
Bachelor’s Degree	222	36
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	2,216	44
Post-Master’s	38	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1,618	4
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	6	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Physical Sciences

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to physical sciences.

Major	Number of Grads
Engineering	198,720
Biological & Biomedical Sciences	180,784
Engineering Technologies	86,188
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations	51,081
Mathematics & Statistics	49,970
Natural Resources & Conservation	32,106
Architecture & Related Services	19,716
Science Technologies / Technicians	6,771
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences	4,568

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 NASA under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.