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hospice and palliative care

A program of study that prepares individuals to work with patients in hospice and palliative care and focuses on the physical, psychological, spiritual, and social needs of patients and families affected by advanced illness. Includes instruction in aging, thanatology, pharmacology, complementary and integrative therapies, pathophysiology, and ethics.

Types of Degrees hospice and palliative care Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing hospice and palliative care can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	3

What hospice and palliative care Majors Need to Know

Programs in hospice and palliative care emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that hospice and palliative care graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in hospice and palliative care emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Psychology — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 6.3 / 7.
• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.6 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a hospice and palliative care program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Coordination — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to hospice and palliative care careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, hospice and palliative care graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.7 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.3 / 7
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by hospice and palliative care professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Adobe PageMaker	Desktop publishing software	—
Calendar software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Google Meet	Video conferencing software	✓
Zoom	Video conferencing software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Intrado SchoolMessenger	Mobile messaging service software	—
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for hospice and palliative care graduates include:

• Case Worker
• Case Manager
• Social Worker
• Older Adult Social Work Specialist
• Perinatal Social Worker
• Geriatric Social Worker
• Clinical Social Worker
• Hospice Home Care Social Worker
• Hospice Social Worker
• Family Advocate
• Medical Case Manager
• Nursing Home Social Worker
• Psychosocial Coordinator
• Healthcare Advocate
• LMSW (Licensed Medical Social Worker)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to hospice and palliative care graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	70.4%
Bachelor’s degree	14.8%
Post-master’s certificate	11.1%
First professional degree	3.7%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in hospice and palliative care?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 100% of hospice and palliative care degrees.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of hospice and palliative care graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1	33.3%
Asian	1	33.3%
Two or More Races	1	33.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do hospice and palliative care Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of hospice and palliative care 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	$46,066
4 years	$46,824
5 years	$52,641

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $52,641 — roughly 14% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in hospice and palliative care Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, hospice and palliative care graduates earn a median of $46,824 four years after completion — roughly 23% 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
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	33,946
Mental Health Counseling/Counselor	10,855
Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling	6,135
Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling	4,476
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Other	3,545
Clinical/Medical Social Work	3,296
Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician	2,601
Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling	2,298
Genetic Counseling/Counselor	378
Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling	187
Trauma Counseling	161
Medical Family Therapy/Therapist	6

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.