Knowledge Management

Types of Degrees Knowledge Management Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	75
Master’s Degree	66
Associate Degree	39
Graduate Certificate	22
Undergraduate Certificate	2

What Knowledge Management Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, knowledge management majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Knowledge Management Majors

Knowledge Management majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• 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.
• 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.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Skills for Knowledge Management Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to knowledge management:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• 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.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Abilities for Knowledge Management Majors

Knowledge Management majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 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.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Knowledge Management Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with knowledge management:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Computer and Information Systems Managers	12.0%	$142,530

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Knowledge Management?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 73% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of knowledge management majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	4
Black or African American	6
Hispanic or Latino	11
White	42
International Students	1
Other Races/Ethnicities	11

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Knowledge Management, too. About 1.3% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Knowledge Management Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to knowledge management is $152,860. This median refers to 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.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Knowledge Management

Some careers associated with knowledge management require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to knowledge management have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	1.3%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	5.8%
Some College Courses	26.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.2%
Bachelor’s Degree	47.7%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	2.8%
Master’s Degree	14.4%

Online Knowledge Management Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 29 schools offered some type of knowledge management 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)	5	4
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	6	5
Bachelor’s Degree	9	4
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	10	4
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Knowledge Management Worth It?

The median salary for a knowledge management grad is $152,860 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 283% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $2,259,200 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Knowledge Management

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to knowledge management.

Major	Number of Grads
General Management Information Systems	11,791
Information Resources Management	1,186
Other Management Information Systems and Services	499

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 Dzonatas under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.