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Chemical & Physical Oceanography

Types of Degrees Chemical & Physical Oceanography Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Chemical & Physical Oceanography may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	2
Bachelor’s Degree	244
Master’s Degree	204
Doctor’s Degree	119

What Chemical & Physical Oceanography Majors Need to Know

Programs in Chemical & Physical Oceanography develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Chemical & Physical Oceanography graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Chemical & Physical Oceanography emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a Chemical & Physical Oceanography program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Chemical & Physical Oceanography careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Chemical & Physical Oceanography graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Chemical & Physical Oceanography professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	✓
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Chemical & Physical Oceanography graduates include:

• Research Coordinator
• Clinical Trials Manager
• Clinical Project Manager
• Geoscience Professor
• Professor
• Meteorology Professor
• Research Professor
• Geomorphology Teacher
• Climatology Professor
• Lecturer
• Hydrology Teacher
• Physical Sciences Instructor
• Mineralogy Professor
• Climatology Teacher
• Geology Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	31.4%
Master’s degree	29.4%
Doctoral degree	13.6%
Post-doctoral training	9.8%
Postsecondary certificate	3.8%
Some college courses	3.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.3%
Post-master’s certificate	1.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Chemical & Physical Oceanography?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 61.9% of Chemical & Physical Oceanography degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	352	61.9%
Men	217	38.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Chemical & Physical Oceanography graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	368	64.7%
Asian	25	4.4%
Hispanic or Latino	54	9.5%
Black or African American	15	2.6%
Two or More Races	31	5.4%
Race Unknown	16	2.8%
International Students	60	10.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Chemical & Physical Oceanography Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Chemical & Physical Oceanography 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	$42,682
4 years	$54,219
5 years	$61,701

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $61,701 — roughly 45% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Chemical & Physical Oceanography Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Chemical & Physical Oceanography. 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
Bachelor’s	1	1
Master’s	2	2
Doctoral (Research)	2	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 Chemical & Physical Oceanography Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Chemical & Physical Oceanography graduates earn a median of $54,219 four years after completion — roughly 43% 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
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences	40.06
Geochemistry and Petrology	40.0606
Geochemistry	40.0602
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences, Other	40.0699
Geology/Earth Science, General	40.0601
Geophysics and Seismology	40.0603
Hydrology and Water Resources Science	40.0605
Paleontology	40.0604
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Other	40.0299
Astronomy	40.0201
Astrophysics	40.0202
Atmospheric Chemistry and Climatology	40.0402

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.