Find Healthcare Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Health Sciences & Services Major

Find Schools Near

Health Sciences & Services

18,821 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
1,304 Master's Degrees Annually
#4 in Popularity
$43,480 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Health Sciences & Services Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many health sciences and services graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree 18,866
Associate Degree 10,218
Basic Certificate 3,850
Master’s Degree 1,333
Undergraduate Certificate 1,265
Graduate Certificate 221
Doctor’s Degree 192

What Health Sciences & Services Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to health science were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Health Science Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in health science should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

undefined
  • 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.
  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • 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.
  • Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Skills for Health Science Majors

health science majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

undefined
  • 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.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Health Science Majors

A major in health science will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

undefined
  • 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.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Health Sciences & Services Major?

People with a health science degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Community Health Workers 17.9% $39,540
Health Educators 14.6% $54,220

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Sciences & Services?

18,866 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
78% Percent Women
49% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This is one of the most frequently chosen healthcare majors. It is the 4th most popular in the country with 18,821 students graduating with a bachelor’s in health science in 2021. The major attracts more women than men. About 78% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of health science majors is as follows:

undefined
Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 1,913
Black or African American 2,967
Hispanic or Latino 3,560
White 8,780
International Students 335
Other Races/Ethnicities 1,311

Geographic Diversity

Health Science appeals to people across the globe. About 1.8% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

  • Saudi Arabia
  • China
  • Canada
  • South Korea
  • Nigeria

How Much Do Health Sciences & Services Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The median early-career salary of health sciences and services students with a bachelor’s degree is $31,369 a year according to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $29,203 (25th percentile) and $36,626 (75th percentile).

undefined

We don’t know for sure if all of these people took jobs related to health science so take that into consideration.

Salaries According to BLS

Health Science majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $43,480 to $59,660 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

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 a Health Sciences & Services Major  ( 43480 to 59660 )
0K
250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
0K
250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
0K
250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
0K
250K

Some careers associated with health science require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for health science careers below.

undefined
Education Level Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 5.4%
Some College Courses 1.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 40.2%
Bachelor’s Degree 42.9%
Master’s Degree 10.1%
Doctoral Degree 0.4%

Online Health Sciences & Services Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 829 schools offered some type of health sciences and services 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) 50 5
Certificate (2-4 Years) 2 0
Associate’s Degree 309 44
Bachelor’s Degree 43 19
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 69 28
Post-Master’s 6 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 16 3
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 5 2
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 2 1

Is a Degree in Health Sciences & Services Worth It?

The median salary for a health science grad is $43,480 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 9% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $71,600 after 20 years!

undefined

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to health science.

Major Number of Grads
Nursing 322,592
Health & Medical Administrative Services 89,359
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 84,492
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274
Allied Health Professions 82,308
Public Health 40,596
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 29,833
Mental & Social Health Services 29,053
Medicine 28,629
Dental Support Services 26,399
Communication Sciences 22,298
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 20,393
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 18,901
Somatic Bodywork & Therapeutic Services 10,751
Health/Medical Prep Programs 9,210
Other Health Professions 7,984
Dentistry 6,770
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services 6,158
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 5,115
Alternative Medicine & Systems 3,564
Chiropractic 2,658
Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies 2,374
Medical Illustration & Informatics 2,089
Optometry 1,822
Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences 1,775
Ophthalmic & Optometric Support Services 960
Medical Science 909
Movement & Mind-Body Therapies 294
Alternative Medical Support Services 227
Energy & Biologically Based Therapies 68

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.

Featured Schools

Find Healthcare Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited healthcare schools across the U.S.