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Military Applied Sciences

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 29.0301 - 29.0399.

Types of Degrees Military Applied Sciences Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Military Applied Sciences can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	8
Bachelor’s Degree	135
Master’s Degree	240

What Military Applied Sciences Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Military Applied Sciences emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Physics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Military Applied Sciences program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Quality Control Analysis — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Military Applied Sciences careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Military Applied Sciences graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Controlling Machines and Processes	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Military Applied Sciences professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Presentation software	Presentation software	—
Data acquisition software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Statistical analysis software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Military Applied Sciences graduates include:

• Test Technician (Test Tech)
• Laser Specialist
• Laser Operator
• Optics Technician (Optics Tech)
• Optics Test Technician (Optics Test Tech)
• Laser Assembly Technician (Laser Assembly Tech)
• Fiber Optics Assembler
• Splicing Technician (Splicing Tech)
• Photonics Engineering Technologist
• Fiber Splicer
• Photonics Engineering Technician (Photonics Engineering Tech)
• Fiber Optics Cabling Specialist
• Mobile Technician (Mobile Tech)
• Thin Film Technician (Thin Film Tech)
• Optomechanical Technician (Optomechanical Tech)

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	47.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	25.4%
Bachelor’s degree	9.2%
Postsecondary certificate	6.9%
Some college courses	6.8%
Master’s degree	2.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Military Applied Sciences?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 83.6% of Military Applied Sciences degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	63	16.4%
Men	320	83.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	267	69.7%
Asian	12	3.1%
Hispanic or Latino	37	9.7%
Black or African American	13	3.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	1.0%
Two or More Races	9	2.3%
Race Unknown	27	7.0%
International Students	14	3.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Military Applied Sciences Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Military Applied 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	$89,751
5 years	$58,787

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $58,787 — roughly -34% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Military Applied Sciences Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Military Applied 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	2	0
Master’s	2	1
Doctoral (Research)	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Military Technologies Sciences	4,796
Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations	4,051
Military Systems and Maintenance Technology	207
Military Technologies and Applied Sciences, Other	144
Military Technology and Applied Sciences Management	11
MILITARY TECHNOLOGIES AND APPLIED SCIENCES	—
Reserved	—

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.