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Social Sciences Major

Social Sciences

6,378 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
596 Master's Degrees Annually
#67 in Popularity

Types of Degrees Social Sciences Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many general social sciences graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level Number of Grads
Associate Degree 9,994
Bachelor’s Degree 5,605
Master’s Degree 1,618
Graduate Certificate 134
Basic Certificate 77
Doctor’s Degree 26
Undergraduate Certificate 4

What Social Sciences Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, social sciences 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 Social Sciences Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

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  • 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.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • 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 Social Sciences Majors

social sciences majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

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  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Social Sciences Majors

A major in social sciences will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

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  • 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.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Social Sciences Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with social sciences:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
City and Regional Planning Aides 4.4% $46,640
Clinical Data Managers 33.9% $87,780
Compliance Managers 8.0% $107,480
Investment Fund Managers 8.0% $107,480
Regulatory Affairs Managers 8.0% $107,480
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 7.5% $60,320
Security Managers 8.0% $107,480
Social Science Research Assistants 4.4% $46,640
Social Sciences Professors 9.8% $71,600
Statisticians 33.9% $87,780
Supply Chain Managers 8.0% $107,480
Survey Researchers 2.1% $57,700
Transportation Planners 6.7% $81,340

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences?

5,605 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
66% Percent Women
44% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 6,378 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in general social sciences in 2021, making it rank #67 in popularity. 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 social sciences majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 300
Black or African American 815
Hispanic or Latino 977
White 2,688
International Students 196
Other Races/Ethnicities 629

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Social Sciences. About 3.5% of those with this major are international students.

Some careers associated with social sciences 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 social sciences careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 0.7%
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) 0.8%
Some College Courses 1.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 2.7%
Bachelor’s Degree 51.6%
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. 3.3%
Master’s Degree 29.6%
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. 1.7%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. 0.8%
Doctoral Degree 7.7%
Post-Doctoral Training 0.3%

Online Social Sciences 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) 2 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 2 1
Associate’s Degree 166 40
Bachelor’s Degree 35 4
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 63 8
Post-Master’s 7 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 15 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to social sciences.

Major Number of Grads
Political Science & Government 46,438
Economics 46,225
Sociology 33,194
International Relations & National Security 14,086
Anthropology 10,899
Geography & Cartography 7,541
Other Social Sciences 2,069
Urban Studies 1,301
Sociology & Anthropology 552
Archeology 339
Demography & Population Studies 81

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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