Community Organization & Advocacy
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Types of Degrees Community Organization & Advocacy Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many community organization and advocacy graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Master’s Degree | 469 |
Graduate Certificate | 62 |
Doctor’s Degree | 10 |
What Community Organization & Advocacy Majors Need to Know
In an O*NET survey, community organization 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 Community Organization Majors
This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
- Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
- Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Skills for Community Organization Majors
community organization majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

- 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.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Abilities for Community Organization Majors
Community Organization majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

- 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.
- Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- 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.
What Can You Do With a Community Organization & Advocacy Major?
Below is a list of occupations associated with community organization:
Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
---|---|---|
Community and Social Service Specialists | 13.2% | $42,620 |
Social and Community Service Managers | 18.0% | $65,320 |
Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Community Organization & Advocacy?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of community organization majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 6 |
Black or African American | 76 |
Hispanic or Latino | 41 |
White | 257 |
International Students | 19 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 70 |
Geographic Diversity
Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Community Organization. About 4.1% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:
- Saudi Arabia
- China
- South Korea
- India
- Canada
How Much Do Community Organization & Advocacy Majors Make?
Master’s Degree Starting Salary
Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that community organization and advocacy students who graduated in 2015-2017 with a master’s degree made a median starting salary of $41,600 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $40,100 (25th percentile) and $41,825 (75th percentile).

We don’t know for sure if all of these people took jobs related to community organization so take that into consideration.
Salaries According to BLS
Average salaries range from $46,050 to $71,670 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to community organization. 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 Community Organization & Advocacy
Some careers associated with community organization 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.
How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to community organization have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
Less than a High School Diploma | 3.4% |
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 18.4% |
Some College Courses | 7.6% |
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 9.2% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 38.8% |
Master’s Degree | 17.8% |
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. | 3.9% |
Online Community Organization & Advocacy Programs
In the 2018-2019 academic year, 145 schools offered some type of community organization and advocacy 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) | 20 | 2 |
Certificate (1-2 years) | 10 | 2 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 0 | 0 |
Associate’s Degree | 35 | 4 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 25 | 8 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 20 | 2 |
Master’s Degree | 35 | 10 |
Post-Master’s | 6 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 3 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
Is a Degree in Community Organization & Advocacy Worth It?
The median salary for a community organization grad is $46,480 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
This is 16% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $131,600 after 20 years!

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Majors Related to Community Organization & Advocacy
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to community organization.
Major | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Social Work | 32,304 |
Public Administration | 13,942 |
Public Policy | 3,701 |
Human Services | 1,360 |
Other Public Administration | 386 |
References
- 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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