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International Studies

Types of Degrees International Studies Majors Are Earning

Those studying International Studies may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	48
Associate’s Degree	28
Bachelor’s Degree	4,548
Master’s Degree	1,099
Doctor’s Degree	14

What International Studies Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• Law and Government — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a International Studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, International Studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Analyzing Data or Information	4.8 / 7
Getting Information	4.8 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.7 / 7
Processing Information	4.6 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.5 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.5 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by International Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
R	Object or component oriented development software	—
Sage Reference Online	Information retrieval or search software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
StataCorp Stata	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Structure query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	—
IDM Computer Solutions UltraEdit	Data base management system software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Data visualization software	Analytical or scientific software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for International Studies graduates include:

• Foreign Service Teacher
• Survey Research Professor
• Industrial Arts Teacher
• Humanities Teacher
• Urban Planning Professor
• City Planning Teacher
• Urban Planning Teacher
• Weight Control Lecturer
• Survey Research Teacher
• Family Consumer Science Teacher
• Science Teacher
• Military Science Teacher
• Liberal Arts Teacher
• College Teacher
• Lecturer

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	88.5%
Master’s degree	7.7%
Post-doctoral training	3.9%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in International Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 65.7% of International Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3,771	65.7%
Men	1,969	34.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,648	46.1%
Asian	573	10.0%
Hispanic or Latino	1,111	19.4%
Black or African American	390	6.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	9	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	7	0.1%
Two or More Races	319	5.6%
Race Unknown	111	1.9%
International Students	572	10.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do International Studies Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of International 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	$42,789
4 years	$57,044
5 years	$66,781

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $66,781 — roughly 56% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online International Studies Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for International 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	2	1
Bachelor’s	12	10
Master’s	7	9
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.}

Is a Degree in International Studies Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, International Studies graduates earn a median of $57,044 four years after completion — roughly 50% 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
Nutrition Sciences	5,456
Behavioral Sciences	5,391
Sustainability Studies	4,374
Cognitive Science	3,121
Natural Sciences	2,648
Computational Science	2,395
Human Computer Interaction	2,298

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.