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Insurance

Instructional content is defined in code 52.1701.

Types of Degrees Insurance Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Insurance may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	19
Associate’s Degree	15
Bachelor’s Degree	1,130
Master’s Degree	981

What Insurance Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Insurance emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Insurance program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Insurance graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Processing Information	3.9 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Insurance professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS	Medical software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Insurance graduates include:

• Insurance Agent
• Licensed Insurance Agent
• Insurance Special Agent
• Life Insurance Agent
• Field Service Representative
• Sales Special Agent
• Insurance Salesman
• Life Insurance Sales Representative (Life Insurance Sales Rep)
• Account Representative
• Licensed Life Insurance Agent
• Compensation Agent
• Account Specialist
• Health Insurance Sales Agent
• Commercial Lines Account Manager
• Life Insurance Sales Agent

What Can You Do With a Insurance Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Insurance commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Insurance Sales Agents	8.7%	$47,818	$39,371–$56,264

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	45.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	12.4%
Some college courses	10.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	8.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	5.8%
Postsecondary certificate	5.7%
Doctoral degree	4.9%
Master’s degree	4.6%
First professional degree	2.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Insurance?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 67.9% of Insurance degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	690	32.1%
Men	1,457	67.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Insurance graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,357	63.2%
Asian	81	3.8%
Hispanic or Latino	163	7.6%
Black or African American	95	4.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.0%
Two or More Races	53	2.5%
Race Unknown	345	16.1%
International Students	50	2.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Insurance Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Insurance 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	$64,199
4 years	$77,212
5 years	$90,335

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $90,335 — roughly 41% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Insurance Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Insurance. 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	5	2
Bachelor’s	5	5
Master’s	5	2

^{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 Insurance Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Insurance graduates earn a median of $77,212 four years after completion — roughly 103% 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	Annual Degrees Awarded
Business Management Marketing Sales	840,037
Business Administration, Management and Operations	402,942
Accounting and Related Services	81,835
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods	62,236
Business/Commerce, General	57,976
Finance and Financial Management Services	57,564
Marketing	53,750
Human Resources Management and Services	25,424
Business Operations Support and Assistant Services	16,153
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	14,306
Hospitality Administration/Management	13,333
Management Information Systems and Services	12,092

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.