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Alternative Medicine & Systems Major

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Alternative Medicine & Systems

105 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
27 Master's Degrees Annually
#71 in Popularity
$85,600 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Alternative Medicine & Systems Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many general alternative and complementary medicine and medical systems graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Basic Certificate 128
Bachelor’s Degree 105
Undergraduate Certificate 62
Associate Degree 45
Graduate Certificate 41
Master’s Degree 27
Doctor’s Degree 2

What Alternative Medicine & Systems Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to general alternative and complementary medicine and medical systems 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 General Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

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  • Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Skills for General Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems Majors

When studying general alternative and complementary medicine and medical systems, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

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  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
  • 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.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Abilities for General Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems Majors

General Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

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  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • 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.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Alternative Medicine & Systems Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with general alternative and complementary medicine and medical systems:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Orthoptists 13.3% $73,960

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Alternative Medicine & Systems?

105 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
86% Percent Women
45% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This major is dominated by women with about 86% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of general alternative and complementary medicine and medical systems majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 5
Black or African American 20
Hispanic or Latino 17
White 47
International Students 0
Other Races/Ethnicities 16

How Much Do Alternative Medicine & Systems Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to general alternative and complementary medicine and medical systems is $85,600. This median refers to 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.

Median Salary for an Alternative Medicine & Systems Major  85,600
0K
250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
0K
250K

Some degrees associated with general alternative and complementary medicine and medical systems may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. 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 general alternative and complementary medicine and medical systems have obtained the following education levels.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Bachelor’s Degree 10.2%
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. 76.1%
Master’s Degree 10.2%

Online Alternative Medicine & Systems Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 11 schools offered some type of general alternative and complementary medicine and medical systems 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) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 1 1
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 1 1
Bachelor’s Degree 5 3
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 4 3
Post-Master’s 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 1 1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Alternative Medicine & Systems Worth It?

The median salary for a general alternative and complementary medicine and medical systems grad is $85,600 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 115% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $914,000 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to general alternative and complementary medicine and medical systems.

Major Number of Grads
Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine 1,930
Holistic/Integrative Health 521
Naturopathic Medicine/Naturopathy 329
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Chinese Herbology 152
Ayurvedic Medicine/Ayurveda 138
Other Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems 84

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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