---

General Physical Sciences

Types of Degrees General Physical Sciences Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing General Physical Sciences may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	2,241
Bachelor’s Degree	364
Master’s Degree	43
Doctor’s Degree	13

What General Physical Sciences Majors Need to Know

Programs in General Physical Sciences build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Physical Sciences graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing General Physical Sciences emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a General Physical Sciences program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

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

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to General Physical Sciences careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Physical Sciences graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Physical Sciences professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Google Meet	Video conferencing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
StataCorp Stata	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Clinical trial management software	Data base user interface and query software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Physical Sciences graduates include:

• Clinical Project Manager
• Research Coordinator
• Clinical Trials Manager
• World History Teacher
• Organ Teacher
• Secondary Teacher
• Art Teacher
• Latin Teacher
• Ceramics Teacher
• Biology Teacher
• Physical Fitness Teacher
• After School Teacher
• Sports Teacher
• Science Teacher
• Health and PE Teacher (Health and Physical Education Teacher)

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	63.6%
Master’s degree	8.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.9%
Postsecondary certificate	4.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.6%
Some college courses	3.5%
Post-doctoral training	3.4%
Post-master’s certificate	3.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.7%
Doctoral degree	2.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Physical Sciences?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 48% women and 52% men among General Physical Sciences graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,278	48.0%
Men	1,383	52.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Physical Sciences graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	982	36.9%
Asian	344	12.9%
Hispanic or Latino	593	22.3%
Black or African American	278	10.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	46	1.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.2%
Two or More Races	142	5.3%
Race Unknown	87	3.3%
International Students	185	7.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Physical Sciences Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of General Physical Sciences graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$29,769
4 years	$39,802
5 years	$49,400

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $49,400 — roughly 66% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General Physical Sciences Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for General Physical Sciences. 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
Associate’s	8	7
Bachelor’s	2	1
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.}

Is a Degree in General Physical Sciences Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, General Physical Sciences graduates earn a median of $39,802 four years after completion — roughly 5% 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
Physical Sciences	40
Astronomy and Astrophysics	40.02
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology	40.04
Chemistry	40.05
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences	40.06
Materials Sciences	40.10
Physical Sciences, Other	40.99
PHYSICAL SCIENCES	40.00
Physics and Astronomy	40.11
Physics	40.08

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.