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Fields of study · Social Sciences

Social Sciences, General

CIP 45.01. 539 colleges reported awards in this field, totaling 17,248 awards in the latest award year.

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Award levels

Where this field is awarded, and what graduates earned

Earnings are national medians for graduates of this field at this level, measured four years after they finished, among students who received federal aid and were working. They describe past graduates across all schools, not one school and not you.

LevelCollegesAwardsMedian earningsMiddle range
Certificate32105$51,219Not reported
Associate1769,566$43,146$26,547 to $59,204
Bachelor's3105,416$53,366$36,590 to $72,257
Graduate certificate40178$96,031$80,979 to $131,483
Master's661,933$65,443$46,004 to $92,957
Doctorate2050$81,523$53,745 to $111,247
Year, scope, and limits
Cohort or year
Most recent reported cohorts
Scope
Reported for this field of study

National median earnings for this field and credential level, 4 years after completion, across every institution that awards it.

Colleges

Colleges that awarded Social Sciences, General credentials

Listed by awards conferred in the latest award year, which shows size rather than quality. A larger program is not a better program. 78 of these colleges report at least one credential in this field that can be finished fully online.

University of ChicagoPrivate nonprofit, 4-year · Chicago, IL · Master's, Graduate certificate, Doctorate
770 awards$74,690 median 4 years out
Sierra CollegePublic, 2-year · Rocklin, CA · Associate
534 awards$45,195 median 4 years out
College of the CanyonsPublic, 2-year · Santa Clarita, CA · Associate, Certificate
529 awardsProgram earnings not reported
Ohlone CollegePublic, 2-year · Fremont, CA · Associate, Certificate
347 awards$58,928 median 4 years out
Vanderbilt UniversityPrivate nonprofit, 4-year · Nashville, TN · Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate
317 awards$103,229 median 4 years out
Harvard UniversityPrivate nonprofit, 4-year · Cambridge, MA · Bachelor's, Master's
302 awards$78,996 median 4 years out
Georgetown UniversityPrivate nonprofit, 4-year · Washington, DC · Master's, Bachelor's
298 awardsProgram earnings not reported
Butte CollegePublic, 2-year · Oroville, CA · Associate · Fully online option reported
283 awards$40,543 median 4 years out
Shasta CollegePublic, 4-year · Redding, CA · Associate
264 awards$39,704 median 4 years out
Folsom Lake CollegePublic, 2-year · Folsom, CA · Associate
263 awardsProgram earnings not reported
Palomar CollegePublic, 2-year · San Marcos, CA · Associate
240 awardsProgram earnings not reported

Showing 24 of 539 colleges. Filter the full directory by this family →

128 of these programs have a published earnings figure. The rest are suppressed or not reported, usually because too few graduates were in the cohort to publish safely. A blank is not a low number.

Year, scope, and limits
Cohort or year
2023-24 award year
Scope
Reported for this field of study

Awards conferred in this field and at this level during the award year.

Related work

Kinds of work this field leads toward

These occupations are commonly linked to CIP 45.01. Wages are national medians across everyone in the occupation, not just recent graduates of this field, and they are not a placement record. Many people in these jobs studied something else.

OccupationGroupMedian wageEmployed
Managers, All OtherManagement$141,900622,190
StatisticiansComputer and mathematical$105,65029,030
Survey ResearchersLife, physical, and social science$69,4608,290
SociologistsLife, physical, and social science$106,0302,260
Social Scientists and Related Workers, All OtherLife, physical, and social science$101,11037,100
Social Science Research AssistantsLife, physical, and social science$61,99030,640
Sociology Teachers, PostsecondaryEducational instruction and library$84,29011,850
Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All OtherEducational instruction and library$72,99016,580
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special EducationEducational instruction and library$63,9701,388,390
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical EducationEducational instruction and library$64,370620,090
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical EducationEducational instruction and library$72,0401,065,210
Year, scope, and limits
Cohort or year
May 2025
Scope
Reported for this occupation, nationally

National median wage across all workers in the occupation, not only recent graduates of one field. Wages vary by state, industry, and experience. A wage at or above 239,200 dollars a year is published only as at or above that figure.

Nearby fields

Economics924 colleges · 41,517 awardsPolitical Science and Government1,299 colleges · 40,765 awardsSociology1,158 colleges · 28,617 awardsInternational Relations and National Security Studies446 colleges · 11,926 awardsAnthropology597 colleges · 9,916 awardsCriminology249 colleges · 9,677 awards

Limits

What this page cannot tell you

  • Awards conferred describe last year's graduates. A program can start, change, or close, so confirm the exact program, level, and start term with the college.
  • Earnings vary by state, employer, and role. One median hides a wide spread.
  • Program availability does not mean the program is offered every term or in your state.
  • Nothing here is a chance of admission or a promise of a job.