---

Management Sciences & Methods

Types of Degrees Management Sciences & Methods Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Management Sciences & Methods have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	156
Associate’s Degree	112
Bachelor’s Degree	13,758
Master’s Degree	47,850
Doctor’s Degree	350

What Management Sciences & Methods Majors Need to Know

Programs in Management Sciences & Methods build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Management Sciences & Methods graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Management Sciences & Methods emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a Management Sciences & Methods program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Management Sciences & Methods careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Management Sciences & Methods graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Management Sciences & Methods professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft SQL Server	Data base user interface and query software	—
C++	Object or component oriented development software	✓
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Tableau	Business intelligence and data analysis software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Management Sciences & Methods graduates include:

• Data Analyst
• Business Analyst
• Business Process Analyst
• Business Consultant
• Business Systems Analyst
• Reports Analyst
• Research Scientist
• Analyst
• Statistical Analyst
• Data Modeler
• Data Engineer
• Statistical Consultant
• Psychometric Consultant
• Quantitative Methodologist
• Data Specialist

What Can You Do With a Management Sciences & Methods Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Management Sciences & Methods commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Statisticians	6.6%	$130,349	$110,363–$150,334
Biostatisticians	7.4%	$121,594	$102,290–$140,899

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Management Sciences & Methods graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	46.9%
Master’s degree	29.5%
Doctoral degree	10.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.8%
Some college courses	2.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.5%
Post-master’s certificate	1.1%
Post-doctoral training	0.7%
First professional degree	0.7%
Less than a high school diploma	0.4%
Postsecondary certificate	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Management Sciences & Methods?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 43% women and 57% men among Management Sciences & Methods graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	26,733	43.0%
Men	35,503	57.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Management Sciences & Methods graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	21,811	35.0%
Asian	7,638	12.3%
Hispanic or Latino	4,522	7.3%
Black or African American	2,791	4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	102	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	64	0.1%
Two or More Races	1,458	2.3%
Race Unknown	1,712	2.8%
International Students	22,138	35.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Management Sciences & Methods Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Management Sciences & Methods graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$88,001
4 years	$83,500
5 years	$95,189

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $95,189 — roughly 8% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Management Sciences & Methods Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Management Sciences & Methods. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3	2
Bachelor’s	28	30
Master’s	118	105
Doctoral (Research)	6	2

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Management Sciences & Methods Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Management Sciences & Methods graduates earn a median of $83,500 four years after completion — roughly 120% 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
Business Administration, Management and Operations	402,942
Accounting and Related Services	81,835
Business/Commerce, General	57,976
Finance and Financial Management Services	57,564
Marketing	53,750
Human Resources Management and Services	25,424
Business Operations Support and Assistant Services	16,153
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	14,306
Hospitality Administration/Management	13,333
Management Information Systems and Services	12,092
Real Estate	7,906
International Business	6,933

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.