General Physical Sciences

Types of Degrees General Physical Sciences Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many general physical sciences graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	3,395
Bachelor’s Degree	320
Master’s Degree	75
Doctor’s Degree	32
Undergraduate Certificate	1

What General Physical Sciences Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to physical science 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 Science Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in physical science should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Physical Science Majors

physical science majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• 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.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Physical Science Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a physical science student include the following:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a General Physical Sciences Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with physical science:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320

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

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 320 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in general physical sciences in 2021, making it rank #230 in popularity. Roughly 46% of the graduates are women, and 54% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	19
Black or African American	19
Hispanic or Latino	62
White	183
International Students	18
Other Races/Ethnicities	19

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Physical Science. About 5.6% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• Saudi Arabia
• India
• United Arab Emirates
• South Korea

How Much Do General Physical Sciences Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in physical science was $44,209 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $40,001 (25th percentile) and $59,445 (75th percentile).

It is possible that some of these people may have taken positions that were not related to physical science.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $64,340 to $139,680 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to physical science. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to General Physical Sciences

Some degrees associated with physical science may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

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

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Bachelor’s Degree	48.6%
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.	12.0%
Master’s Degree	21.4%
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.	2.6%
Doctoral Degree	13.1%
Post-Doctoral Training	2.7%

Online General Physical Sciences Programs

In 2020-2021, 211 schools offered a physical science program of some type. 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)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	129	10
Bachelor’s Degree	2	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	13	1
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	4	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in General Physical Sciences Worth It?

The median salary for a physical science grad is $64,340 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 61% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $488,800 after 20 years!

Majors Related to General Physical Sciences

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

Major	Number of Grads
Chemistry	21,239
Physics	13,674
Geological & Earth Sciences	7,821
Astronomy & Astrophysics	1,375
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology	1,140
Materials Sciences	658
Other Physical Science	538
Physics and Astronomy	38

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

More about our data sources and methodologies.