Other Physical Science

Types of Degrees Other Physical Science Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many physical sciences (other) graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	297
Master’s Degree	99
Associate’s Degree	67
Doctor’s Degree	39
Graduate Certificate	1

What Other Physical Science Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, physical sciences (other) 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 Other Physical Science Majors

Physical Sciences (Other) 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.
• 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.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• 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.

Skills for Other Physical Science Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to physical sciences (other):

• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• 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.
• Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

Abilities for Other Physical Science Majors

Physical Sciences (Other) majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• 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.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking 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).
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Other Physical Science Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with physical sciences (other):

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860
Professors	9.4%	$65,660
Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists	6.8%	$107,230

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Other Physical Science?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 297 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physical sciences (other) in 2019, making it rank #235 in popularity. This major tends to be male dominated. About 59% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	10
Black or African American	18
Hispanic or Latino	22
White	208
International Students	11
Other Races/Ethnicities	28

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Other Physical Science, too. About 3.7% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• India
• Saudi Arabia
• United Kingdom
• Turkey

How Much Do Other Physical Science Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

According to 2017-2018 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physical sciences (other) have a median salary of $18,100 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $18,100 (25th percentile) and $18,100 (75th percentile).

It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in physical sciences (other), it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Physical Sciences (Other) majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $76,990 to $139,680 (25th to 75th percentile). 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 Other Physical Science

Some careers associated with physical sciences (other) 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 physical sciences (other) careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
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)	1.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	31.9%
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.	7.5%
Master’s Degree	27.1%
Doctoral Degree	25.9%
Post-Doctoral Training	7.0%

Online Other Physical Science Programs

In 2018-2019, 57 schools offered a physical sciences (other) 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)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	4	1
Bachelor’s Degree	1	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	16	2
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	12	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Other Physical Science Worth It?

The median salary for a physical sciences (other) grad is $110,090 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 176% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,403,800 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Other Physical Science

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

Major	Number of Grads
Chemistry	22,156
Physics	13,927
Geological & Earth Sciences	9,522
General Physical Sciences	4,527
Astronomy & Astrophysics	1,168
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology	1,072
Materials Sciences	681

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.