Social Sciences Major Guide: Overview and RoEDU™ Opportunities 2025

The Social Sciences major builds core foundations in this discipline and prepares students with practical, career-relevant skills. Use RoEDU™ to find programs that match your goals.

Within Sciences, students often explore key subfields and specializations that provide targeted expertise.

Graduates translate classroom knowledge into real-world impact across sectors through hands-on projects and internships.

As part of Sciences, this major connects to diverse, high-demand fields and interdisciplinary pathways.

Salary Outlook

Entry-level salary
$66,332

Typical starting pay soon after graduation.

Mid-career salary (10y)
$104,877

Estimated after a decade of experience.

Experienced salary (20y)
$140,945

Seasoned professionals at ~20 years.

Weighted median over last 5 years
CAGR 3.7%

CAGR (compound annual growth rate) summarizes average yearly change across the observed period.

Estimated lifetime earnings

40 years, present value
$2,653,280

Employment-weighted across mapped SOCs; entry ≈ 85% of median; historical CAGR shown for last 5y; projections capped at 3% CAGR; lifetime is 40-year present value at 3% discount.

Career Opportunities & Salaries

Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024) • Median wages, employment, and growth projections

OccupationMedian WageTotal JobsGrowth RateEducation
Managers, All Other
SOC: 11-9199
Occupation: Managers, All Other
$136,550
630,980
N/A
N/A
Statisticians
SOC: 15-2041
Occupation: Statisticians
$103,300
29,800
N/A
N/A
Survey Researchers
SOC: 19-3022
Occupation: Survey Researchers
$63,380
7,720
N/A
N/A
Sociologists
SOC: 19-3041
Occupation: Sociologists
$101,690
2,950
N/A
N/A
Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other
SOC: 19-3099
Occupation: Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other
$100,340
36,970
N/A
N/A
Social Science Research Assistants
SOC: 19-4061
Occupation: Social Science Research Assistants
$58,040
32,940
N/A
N/A

Historical Career Trends (2020-2024)

Historical data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020-2024) • Salary trends and employment growth over 5 years

Survey Researchers

5.9%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$63,3807,720
2023$60,9608,190
2022$60,4107,880
2021$59,7408,850
2020$59,87010,350

Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other

15.0%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$100,34036,970
2023$95,89035,210
2022$88,90033,210
2021$84,43034,330
2020$87,26034,570

Social Science Research Assistants

17.9%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$58,04032,940
2023$56,40030,890
2022$50,47028,720
2021$49,72028,690
2020$49,21035,330

Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other

8.2%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$75,04017,540
2023$77,75016,900
2022$75,39016,200
2021$77,50016,140
2020$69,34017,620

Colleges offering Social Sciences

Boston College

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$33k

Earnings

$77k

University of Maryland-College Park

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$16k

Earnings

$69k

Johns Hopkins University

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$23k

Earnings

$96k

San Jose State University

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$14k

Earnings

$70k

University of Chicago

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$28k

Earnings

$91k