Physical Sciences

Types of Degrees Physical Sciences Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many physical sciences graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	6,760
Doctor’s Degree	5,726
Graduate Certificate	219

What Physical Sciences Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to physical sciences and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Physical Sciences Majors

Physical Sciences 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.

Skills for Physical Sciences Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to physical sciences:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• 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.

Abilities for Physical Sciences Majors

As a physical sciences major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Physical Sciences Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with physical sciences:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Astronomers	10.0%	$105,680
Atmospheric and Space Scientists	12.5%	$94,110
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Professors	9.9%	$90,860
Chemistry Professors	9.9%	$79,550
Chemists	6.5%	$76,890
Clinical Research Coordinators	9.9%	$123,860
Engineering Professors	14.7%	$101,720
Environmental Restoration Planners	11.1%	$71,130
Environmental Science Professors	10.1%	$79,910
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health	11.1%	$71,130
Forensic Science Technicians	16.9%	$58,230
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers	14.1%	$91,130
Hydrologists	10.4%	$79,370
Industrial Ecologists	11.1%	$71,130
Materials Scientists	7.6%	$99,800
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860
Physicists	14.5%	$120,950
Physics Postsecondary Professors	10.2%	$90,800
Professors	9.4%	$65,660
Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists	6.8%	$107,230
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320
Water Resource Specialists	9.9%	$123,860

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Physical Sciences?

This major attracts more men than women. About 60% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of physical sciences majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	395
Black or African American	193
Hispanic or Latino	544
White	3,435
International Students	1,831
Other Races/Ethnicities	362

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Physical Sciences, too. About 27.1% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Physical Sciences Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in physical sciences made a median starting salary of $58,235 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $51,030 (25th percentile) and $71,653 (75th percentile).

It is possible that some of these people may have taken positions that were not related to physical sciences.

Salaries According to BLS

Physical Sciences majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $82,790 to $111,090 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

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 Physical Sciences

Some careers associated with physical sciences require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to physical sciences have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.8%
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)	0.5%
Some College Courses	2.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	33.0%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	3.5%
Master’s Degree	25.7%
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.	1.2%
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.	0.3%
Doctoral Degree	19.5%
Post-Doctoral Training	11.8%

Online Physical Sciences Programs

In 2020-2021, 1,530 schools offered a physical sciences program of some type. 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)	22	3
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	717	32
Bachelor’s Degree	89	11
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	1,105	17
Post-Master’s	23	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	811	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	2	0

Is a Degree in Physical Sciences Worth It?

The median salary for a physical sciences grad is $101,890 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 155% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,239,800 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Physical Sciences

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to physical sciences.

Major	Number of Grads
Engineering	61,791
Computer & Information Sciences	60,971
Biological & Biomedical Sciences	28,851
Mathematics & Statistics	15,127
Engineering Technologies	7,672
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations	7,531
Architecture & Related Services	6,944
Natural Resources & Conservation	5,744
Communications Technologies & Support	585
Science Technologies / Technicians	79

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 NASA under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.