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Public & Social Service

Types of Degrees Public & Social Service Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Public & Social Service have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	420
Associate’s Degree	6,289
Bachelor’s Degree	30,751
Master’s Degree	54,004
Doctor’s Degree	1,693

What Public & Social Service Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Public & Social Service build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Public & Social Service graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Public & Social Service emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Public & Social Service program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Public & Social Service careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Public & Social Service graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Public & Social Service professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Public & Social Service graduates include:

• Lecturer
• Professor
• Faculty Member
• Associate Professor
• Instructor
• College Professor
• Assistant Professor
• University Faculty Member
• College Faculty Member
• Adjunct Instructor
• Adjunct Professor
• Case Manager
• Public Administration Professor
• International Relations Professor
• Public Administration Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Public & Social Service graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	36.0%
Bachelor’s degree	24.9%
Master’s degree	20.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.5%
Some college courses	3.0%
Post-doctoral training	1.8%
Postsecondary certificate	1.8%
Post-master’s certificate	1.2%
First professional degree	1.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.8%
Less than a high school diploma	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Public & Social Service?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 81% of Public & Social Service degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	75,514	81.0%
Men	17,681	19.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Public & Social Service graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	45,710	49.0%
Asian	3,355	3.6%
Hispanic or Latino	17,046	18.3%
Black or African American	16,383	17.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	709	0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	239	0.3%
Two or More Races	3,476	3.7%
Race Unknown	3,338	3.6%
International Students	2,939	3.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Public & Social Service Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Public & Social Service graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$50,364
4 years	$51,801
5 years	$58,222

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $58,222 — roughly 16% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Public & Social Service Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Public & Social Service. 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	101	43
Bachelor’s	200	119
Master’s	305	187
Doctoral (Research)	24	10

^{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 Public & Social Service Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Public & Social Service graduates earn a median of $51,801 four years after completion — roughly 36% 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.}

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.