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applied/public sociology

Types of Degrees applied/public sociology Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing applied/public sociology may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	72
Master’s Degree	33

What applied/public sociology Majors Need to Know

Programs in applied/public sociology develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that applied/public sociology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing applied/public sociology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a applied/public sociology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to applied/public sociology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, applied/public sociology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Processing Information	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by applied/public sociology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
StataCorp Stata	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for applied/public sociology graduates include:

• Professor
• Sociology Instructor
• Adjunct Sociology Professor
• Social Organization Professor
• Marriage and Family Teacher
• Sociology Faculty Member
• Social Science Professor
• Instructor
• Sociology Lecturer
• Comparative Sociology Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Adjunct Professor
• College Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Lecturer

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to applied/public sociology graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	37.0%
Doctoral degree	29.1%
Master’s degree	16.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.9%
Some college courses	2.6%
Postsecondary certificate	2.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.7%
Post-doctoral training	0.7%
Post-master’s certificate	0.4%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in applied/public sociology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 81.9% of applied/public sociology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	86	81.9%
Men	19	18.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of applied/public sociology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	57	54.3%
Hispanic or Latino	19	18.1%
Black or African American	17	16.2%
Two or More Races	7	6.7%
International Students	5	4.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do applied/public sociology Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of applied/public sociology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$34,618
4 years	$45,375
5 years	$52,385

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $52,385 — roughly 51% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in applied/public sociology Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, applied/public sociology graduates earn a median of $45,375 four years after completion — roughly 19% 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
Sociology	45.11
Rural Sociology	45.1103
Sociology, General	45.1101
Sociology, Other	45.1199
Survey Research/Methodology	45.0103
Applied Demography	45.0502
Demography and Population Studies	45.0501
Demography, Other	45.0599
Sociology and Anthropology	45.1301
Applied Economics	45.0602
Criminology	45.0401
Development Economics and International Development	45.0604

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.