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Interdisciplinary Studies

Types of Degrees Interdisciplinary Studies Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Interdisciplinary Studies may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	59
Associate’s Degree	24
Master’s Degree	49

Who Is Earning a Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 62.1% of Interdisciplinary Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	50	37.9%
Men	82	62.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	60	45.5%
Asian	6	4.5%
Hispanic or Latino	16	12.1%
Black or African American	28	21.2%
Two or More Races	10	7.6%
Race Unknown	12	9.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Interdisciplinary Studies Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Interdisciplinary Studies 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	$37,821
4 years	$44,620
5 years	$50,734

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $50,734 — roughly 34% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Interdisciplinary Studies Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Interdisciplinary Studies. 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	25	11
Bachelor’s	64	52
Master’s	17	10
Doctoral (Research)	1	1

^{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 Interdisciplinary Studies Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Interdisciplinary Studies graduates earn a median of $44,620 four years after completion — roughly 17% 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
Multi Interdisciplinary Studies	134,694
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other	30,141
Biological and Physical Sciences	28,033
Data Analytics	12,891
Data Science	7,716
International/Globalization Studies	5,740
Nutrition Sciences	5,456
Behavioral Sciences	5,391
Sustainability Studies	4,374
Cognitive Science	3,121
Natural Sciences	2,648
Computational Science	2,395

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.