Chemical & Physical Oceanography

Types of Degrees Chemical & Physical Oceanography Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	234
Master’s Degree	175
Doctor’s Degree	109
Associate Degree	1

What Chemical & Physical Oceanography Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, chemical & physical oceanography majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Chemical & Physical Oceanography Majors

Chemical & Physical Oceanography majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• 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.
• Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

Skills for Chemical & Physical Oceanography Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to chemical & physical oceanography:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• 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.
• Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
• 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.

Abilities for Chemical & Physical Oceanography Majors

As a chemical & physical oceanography major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• 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.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• 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 Chemical & Physical Oceanography Major?

People with a chemical & physical oceanography degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Professors	9.9%	$90,860
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers	14.1%	$91,130
Hydrologists	10.4%	$79,370
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical & Physical Oceanography?

The major attracts more women than men. About 66% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	9
Black or African American	8
Hispanic or Latino	30
White	154
International Students	12
Other Races/Ethnicities	21

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Chemical & Physical Oceanography, too. About 5.1% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Chemical & Physical Oceanography

Some careers associated with chemical & physical oceanography require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for chemical & physical oceanography careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Bachelor’s Degree	29.3%
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.	5.4%
Master’s Degree	36.4%
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.	2.0%
Doctoral Degree	18.8%
Post-Doctoral Training	9.0%

Online Chemical & Physical Oceanography 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)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	4	0
Bachelor’s Degree	3	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	24	1
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	25	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Chemical & Physical Oceanography

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to chemical & physical oceanography.

Major	Number of Grads
Geology & Earth Sciences	5,858
Other Geological & Earth Sciences/Geosciences	873
Hydrology & Water Resources Science	201
Geophysics & Seismology	195
Paleontology	24
Geochemistry	21

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 Kelvinsong under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.