Social Sciences
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:
- 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:
- 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:
- 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?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of social sciences majors is as follows:
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.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Social Sciences
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.
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 |
Explore Major by State
Alabama
California
District of Columbia
Idaho
Kansas
Maryland
Mississippi
Nevada
New York
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Utah
West Virginia
Alaska
Colorado
Florida
Illinois
Kentucky
Massachusetts
Missouri
New Hampshire
North Carolina
Oregon
South Dakota
Vermont
Wisconsin
Majors Related to Social Sciences
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.
- 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 Manfred Werner (Tsui) under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.