Rural Sociology

Types of Degrees Rural Sociology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many rural sociology graduations there were in 2017-2018 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	33

What Rural Sociology Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to rural sociology and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Rural Sociology Majors

Rural Sociology 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.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• 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.

Skills for Rural Sociology Majors

A major in rural sociology prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• 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.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Rural Sociology Majors

Rural Sociology majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• 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 Rural Sociology Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with rural sociology:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Compliance Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Investment Fund Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Regulatory Affairs Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Social Sciences Professors	9.8%	$71,600
Sociology Professors	9.5%	$74,140

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Rural Sociology?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 33 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in rural sociology in 2018, making it rank #300 in popularity. This major is dominated by women with about 76% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of rural sociology majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1
Black or African American	1
Hispanic or Latino	1
White	28
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	2

How Much Do Rural Sociology Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Rural Sociology majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $83,310 to $90,290 (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 Rural Sociology

Some careers associated with rural sociology require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for rural sociology careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	1.6%
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)	1.2%
Some College Courses	0.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	33.4%
Master’s Degree	27.2%
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.	1.3%
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.	1.2%
Doctoral Degree	33.0%

Online Rural Sociology Programs

In the 2017-2018 academic year, 2 schools offered some type of rural sociology program. 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	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Rural Sociology Worth It?

The median salary for a rural sociology grad is $87,950 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 120% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $961,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Rural Sociology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to rural sociology.

Major	Number of Grads
Economics	47,528
Political Science & Government	44,651
Sociology	37,615
General Social Sciences	19,123
International Relations & National Security	14,908
Anthropology	12,008
Criminology	9,624
Geography & Cartography	8,717
Other Social Sciences	2,935
Urban Studies	1,524
Sociology & Anthropology	499
Archeology	335
Demography & Population Studies	76

References

• 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 U.S. National Archives and Records Administration under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.