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Other Social Sciences

Instructional content is defined in code 45.9999.

Types of Degrees Other Social Sciences Majors Are Earning

Those studying Other Social Sciences may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	77
Associate’s Degree	102
Bachelor’s Degree	1,311
Master’s Degree	379
Doctor’s Degree	73

What Other Social Sciences Majors Need to Know

Programs in Other Social Sciences build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Other Social Sciences graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Other Social Sciences emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Other Social Sciences program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

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

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Other Social Sciences careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Other Social Sciences graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Other Social Sciences professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Other Social Sciences graduates include:

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

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	61.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	9.6%
Master’s degree	9.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	7.2%
Postsecondary certificate	4.6%
Some college courses	3.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.0%
Doctoral degree	0.7%
Post-master’s certificate	0.4%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Other Social Sciences?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 67.4% of Other Social Sciences degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,308	67.4%
Men	634	32.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Other Social Sciences graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	888	45.7%
Asian	152	7.8%
Hispanic or Latino	315	16.2%
Black or African American	240	12.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	17	0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	5	0.3%
Two or More Races	96	4.9%
Race Unknown	70	3.6%
International Students	159	8.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Other Social Sciences Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Other Social Sciences 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	$41,245
4 years	$53,264
5 years	$60,633

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $60,633 — roughly 47% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Other Social Sciences Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Other Social Sciences. 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	0
Bachelor’s	4	4
Master’s	8	0
Doctoral (Research)	2	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 Other Social Sciences Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Other Social Sciences graduates earn a median of $53,264 four years after completion — roughly 40% 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
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
Urban Studies/Affairs	1,343
Sociology and Anthropology	496
Archeology	393

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.