---

Demography & Population Studies

Instructional content is defined in code 45.0501.

Types of Degrees Demography & Population Studies Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Demography & Population Studies have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	91
Doctor’s Degree	21

What Demography & Population Studies Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Demography & Population Studies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Demography & Population Studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Demography & Population Studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Demography & Population Studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Demography & Population Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
StataCorp Stata	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Demography & Population Studies graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Sociology Lecturer
• College Faculty Member
• University Faculty Member
• Associate Professor
• Adjunct Professor
• Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Adjunct Sociology Professor
• Sociology Adjunct Professor
• Faculty Member
• Social Organization Professor
• Race Relations Professor
• Professor
• Social Science Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	36.2%
Doctoral degree	30.7%
Master’s degree	15.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.2%
Postsecondary certificate	2.7%
Some college courses	2.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.7%
Post-doctoral training	0.7%
Post-master’s certificate	0.4%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Demography & Population Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 71.4% of Demography & Population Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	80	71.4%
Men	32	28.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	36	32.1%
Asian	14	12.5%
Hispanic or Latino	23	20.5%
Black or African American	4	3.6%
Two or More Races	6	5.4%
Race Unknown	6	5.4%
International Students	23	20.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

Online Demography & Population Studies Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Demography & Population 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
Master’s	1	2
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
Social Sciences	185,019
Economics	45,628
Political Science and Government	44,942
Sociology	31,380
Social Sciences, General	17,510
International Relations and National Security Studies	13,035
Anthropology	10,768
Criminology	10,365
Geography and Cartography	7,105
Social Sciences, Other	1,942
Urban Studies/Affairs	1,343
Sociology and Anthropology	496

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.