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General Social Sciences

Types of Degrees General Social Sciences Majors Are Earning

Those studying General Social Sciences may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	8
Associate’s Degree	9,566
Bachelor’s Degree	5,657
Master’s Degree	2,228
Doctor’s Degree	50

What General Social Sciences Majors Need to Know

Studies in General Social Sciences emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Social Sciences graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in General Social Sciences emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a General Social Sciences program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to General Social Sciences careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Social Sciences graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Social Sciences professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Social Sciences graduates include:

• Science Teacher
• Humanities Teacher
• Lecturer
• Social Science Professor
• Weight Control Lecturer
• Survey Research Professor
• Foreign Service Teacher
• Urban Planning Professor
• Family Consumer Science Teacher
• Liberal Arts Teacher
• City Planning Teacher
• Industrial Arts Teacher
• Naval Science Teacher
• Labor Relations Teacher
• Urban Planning Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	53.0%
Master’s degree	15.6%
Doctoral degree	9.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.8%
Some college courses	2.5%
Postsecondary certificate	2.4%
Post-master’s certificate	1.4%
Less than a high school diploma	0.8%
Post-doctoral training	0.7%
First professional degree	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Social Sciences?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 66.8% of General Social Sciences degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	11,703	66.8%
Men	5,807	33.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Social Sciences graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	6,511	37.2%
Asian	1,270	7.3%
Hispanic or Latino	5,149	29.4%
Black or African American	1,847	10.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	129	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	69	0.4%
Two or More Races	952	5.4%
Race Unknown	477	2.7%
International Students	1,106	6.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Social Sciences Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of General Social Sciences 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	$37,528
4 years	$43,428
5 years	$50,073

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $50,073 — roughly 33% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General Social Sciences Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for General Social Sciences. 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	51	15
Bachelor’s	44	20
Master’s	12	8

^{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 General Social Sciences Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, General Social Sciences graduates earn a median of $43,428 four years after completion — roughly 14% 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
Social Sciences	45
Anthropology	45.02
Archeology	45.03
Criminology	45.04
Demography	45.05
Economics	45.06
Geography and Anthropology	45.15
Geography and Cartography	45.07
International Relations and National Security Studies	45.09
Political Science and Government	45.10
Rural Sociology	45.14
Social Sciences, Other	45.99

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.