Ethnic, Culture & Gender Studies

Types of Degrees Ethnic, Culture & Gender Studies Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	1,942
Graduate Certificate	627
Doctor’s Degree	342

What Ethnic, Culture & Gender Studies Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies 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 Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Majors

Area, Ethnic, Culture, and Gender Studies 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.
• Foreign Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Skills for Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Majors

When studying area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

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

Abilities for Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Majors

A major in area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies 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.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• 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.

What Can You Do With a Ethnic, Culture & Gender Studies Major?

People with a area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Professors	10.4%	$74,440
Interpreters and Translators	17.7%	$49,930

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Ethnic, Culture & Gender Studies?

According to recent stats this major attracts about equal numbers of men and women. Roughly 55% of the graduates are women, and 45% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	154
Black or African American	170
Hispanic or Latino	314
White	798
International Students	282
Other Races/Ethnicities	224

Geographic Diversity

Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies appeals to people across the globe. About 14.5% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Ethnic, Culture & Gender Studies Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

According to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a master’s degree in area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies have a median salary of $48,121 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $42,916 (25th percentile) and $53,121 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $55,230 to $85,450 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies. 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 Ethnic, Culture & Gender Studies

Some careers associated with area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies 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 area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.5%
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)	0.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	17.0%
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.	5.1%
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	41.5%
Post-Doctoral Training	2.7%

Online Ethnic, Culture & Gender Studies Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 801 schools offered some type of area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies 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)	33	3
Certificate (2-4 Years)	13	0
Associate’s Degree	202	7
Bachelor’s Degree	231	14
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	388	8
Post-Master’s	43	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	142	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Ethnic, Culture & Gender Studies Worth It?

The median salary for a area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies grad is $55,230 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 38% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $306,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Ethnic, Culture & Gender Studies

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies.

Major	Number of Grads
Education	199,724
Psychology	42,013
Social Sciences	22,292
Communication & Journalism	12,242
Library Science	5,929
History	4,391
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences	3,692

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 G. Mützel under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.