General Education

Types of Degrees General Education Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many general education graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	17,801
Bachelor’s Degree	5,611
Doctor’s Degree	2,177
Associate Degree	2,078
Graduate Certificate	1,211
Basic Certificate	739
Undergraduate Certificate	193

What General Education Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to general education 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 Education Majors

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

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• 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.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for General Education Majors

general education majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• 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.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.

Abilities for General Education Majors

General Education majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• 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.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

What Can You Do With a General Education Major?

People with a general education degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Education Professors	10.3%	$64,780

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in General Education?

The major attracts more women than men. About 85% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of general education majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	320
Black or African American	373
Hispanic or Latino	1,057
White	3,072
International Students	345
Other Races/Ethnicities	444

Geographic Diversity

General Education appeals to people across the globe. About 6.1% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do General Education Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

General Education majors often go into careers with median salaries of $73,680. 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.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to General Education

Some degrees associated with general education may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for general education careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Bachelor’s Degree	0.6%
Master’s Degree	9.4%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.1%
Doctoral Degree	89.8%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.1%

Online General Education Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 835 schools offered some type of general education 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)	22	3
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	166	21
Bachelor’s Degree	99	19
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	414	83
Post-Master’s	65	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	99	11
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	9	1
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	3	1

Is a Degree in General Education Worth It?

The median salary for a general education grad is $73,680 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 85% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $675,600 after 20 years!

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.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By KOKUYO under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.