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Health Sciences & Services

Types of Degrees Health Sciences & Services Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Health Sciences & Services have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	56
Associate’s Degree	823
Bachelor’s Degree	3,466
Master’s Degree	1,192
Doctor’s Degree	60

What Health Sciences & Services Majors Need to Know

Studies in Health Sciences & Services emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Health Sciences & Services graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Health Sciences & Services emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a Health Sciences & Services program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Health Sciences & Services careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Health Sciences & Services graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.7 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.7 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.7 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.6 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.5 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Health Sciences & Services professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Electronic health record EHR software	Medical software	—
SmugMug Flickr	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Apple macOS	Operating system software	—
Client databases	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Health Sciences & Services graduates include:

• Community Health Worker (CHW)
• Community Health Specialist
• Public Health Worker
• Contact Tracer
• Community Nutrition Educator
• Lay Health Advocate
• Community Health Representative
• Community Health Promoter
• Guest Advocate
• Community Resource Coordinator
• Community Health Program Coordinator
• Community Health Advocate
• Apprise Counselor
• Community Nutrition Advisor
• Health Advocate

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	43.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	37.7%
Master’s degree	10.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	5.6%
Some college courses	1.6%
Doctoral degree	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Health Sciences & Services?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 77.9% of Health Sciences & Services degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	4,371	77.9%
Men	1,240	22.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Health Sciences & Services graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,746	48.9%
Asian	330	5.9%
Hispanic or Latino	1,083	19.3%
Black or African American	875	15.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	78	1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	15	0.3%
Two or More Races	250	4.5%
Race Unknown	181	3.2%
International Students	53	0.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Health Sciences & Services Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Health Sciences & Services graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$40,203
4 years	$49,234
5 years	$57,884

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $57,884 — roughly 44% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Health Sciences & Services Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Health Sciences & Services. 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	57	26
Bachelor’s	74	48
Master’s	42	7
Doctoral (Research)	7	3

^{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 Health Sciences & Services Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Health Sciences & Services graduates earn a median of $49,234 four years after completion — roughly 30% 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
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	311,372
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants	99,987
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Public Health	41,086
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	33,946
Medicine	29,737
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	29,603
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions	24,761
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	23,250
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	20,443

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.