Interdisciplinary Studies

Contains Stem Majors

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    Total Degrees​
    Awarded in 2024
    134,694
    growing 9.33%
    Median In-State​
    Public Tuition
    $8,606
    growing 2.99%
    Median Out-of-State​
    Private Tuition
    $44,400
    growing 4.27%
    Average Wage
    $96,551
    growing 2.61%
    People in Workforce
    1.04M
    growing 2.93%
    Average Employee Age
    41.6
    growing 0.159%

    About

    In 2024, the locations with the highest concentration of Interdisciplinary Studies degree recipients are New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, and San Diego, CA. In 2024, the locations with a relatively high number of Interdisciplinary Studies degree recipients are San Anselmo, CA, Ashland, OR, and Trenton, NJ. The most common degree awarded to students studying Interdisciplinary Studies is a bachelors degree.

    Institutions

    Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Interdisciplinary Studies and the types of students that study this field. The University of Texas at Austin awards the most degrees in Interdisciplinary Studies in the US, but College Unbound and Presidio Graduate School have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Interdisciplinary Studies.

    Tuition costs for Interdisciplinary Studies majors are, on average, $8,606 for in-state public colleges, and $44,400 for out of state private colleges.

    The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Interdisciplinary Studies programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (822 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (73,424 completions).

    Institutions

    Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Interdisciplinary Studies (2024)
    1. 2,364 degrees awarded
    2. 1,951 degrees awarded
    3. 1,704 degrees awarded

    The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Interdisciplinary Studies, is Public, 4-year or above (73,424 completions in 2024).

    The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Interdisciplinary Studies programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

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    Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

    $8,606
    Median In-State Public
    $44,400
    Median Out of State Private

    The University of Texas at Austin has the most Interdisciplinary Studies degree recipients, with 2,364 degrees awarded in 2024.

    The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Interdisciplinary Studies.

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    Specialized Colleges

    Highest Concentration Institution
    1. 100%
    2. 100%
    3. 83.3%

    Out of all institutions that offer Interdisciplinary Studies programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, College Unbound has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Interdisciplinary Studies, with 100%.

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    Degrees Awarded by County

    Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Interdisciplinary Studies
    1. 8,250 degrees awarded
    2. 3,715 degrees awarded
    3. 3,588 degrees awarded

    This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Interdisciplinary Studies by year.

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    Employment

    Information on the businesses and industries that employ Interdisciplinary Studies graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

    The average salary for Interdisciplinary Studies majors is $96,551 and the most common occupations are Elementary & middle school teachers, Other managers, and Physicians.

    The industry that employs the most Interdisciplinary Studies majors is Elementary & secondary schools, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Clay building material & refractories manufacturing.

    Yearly Income for Common Jobs

    $96,551
    Average Wage in Workforce
    ± $2,468
    2.61%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 3.56%

    The average salary for Interdisciplinary Studies majors is $96,551 and the most common occupations are Elementary & middle school teachers, Other managers, and Physicians.

    This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Interdisciplinary Studies majors.

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    Highest Paying Locations

    This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Interdisciplinary Studies majors.

    Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Interdisciplinary Studies majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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    Most Common

    The most common occupations for Interdisciplinary Studies majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & middle school teachers, Other managers, and Physicians.

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    Most Specialized

    Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Interdisciplinary Studies majors working as Dietitians & nutritionists, Chiropractors, and Optometrists.

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    Highest Paid

    The highest paid occupations by median income for Interdisciplinary Studies majors are Surgeons, Physicians, and Boilermakers.

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    Occupations by Share

    1.04M
    2024 Workforce
    ± 24,901
    2.93%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 3.33%

    The number of Interdisciplinary Studies graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.93%, from 1.01M in 2023 to 1.04M in 2024.

    The largest single share of Interdisciplinary Studies graduates go on to work as Elementary & middle school teachers (4.86%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies by share of the total number of graduates.

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    Industries by Share

    1.04M
    2024 Workforce
    ± 24,901
    2.93%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 3.33%

    The number of Interdisciplinary Studies graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.93%, from 1.01M in 2023 to 1.04M in 2024.

    The industry which employs the most Interdisciplinary Studies graduates by share is Elementary & secondary schools, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Interdisciplinary Studies.

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    Specialty Locations

    This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Interdisciplinary Studies majors.

    Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Interdisciplinary Studies majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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    Diversity

    Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in the United States.

    The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies is 41.6.

    The most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Interdisciplinary Studies degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Interdisciplinary Studies (54,980 students).

    Workforce Age

    41.6
    Average Age in 2024
    ± 0.308 Years
    0.159%
    1 Year Change
    ± 1.06%

    This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. The most common ages of employees with this major are 30 and 31 years old, which represent 3.22% and 3.19% of the population, respectively.

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    Degrees Awarded

    The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Interdisciplinary Studies are Bachelors Degree, Associates Degree, and Masters Degree.

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    Workforce Degrees

    The most common degree types held by the working population in Interdisciplinary Studies are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

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    Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

    Female (59.4%)
    Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

    This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Interdisciplinary Studies.

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    Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

    Degrees
    Most Common Race or Ethnicity
    1. White
      54,980 degrees awarded in 2024
    2. Hispanic or Latino
      26,663 degrees awarded in 2024
    3. Non-resident Alien
      17,953 degrees awarded in 2024

    This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Interdisciplinary Studies for each race & ethnicity.

    In 2024, White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

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    Race & Ethnicity by Sex

    Degrees
    Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination
    1. White Female
      16,981 degrees awarded
    2. White Male
      10,899 degrees awarded
    3. Hispanic or Latino Female
      7,026 degrees awarded

    This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Interdisciplinary Studies.

    White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

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    Global Diversity

    Most Common Countries of Origin
    1. India
      26,993 degree recipients
    2. Mexico
      11,096 degree recipients
    3. China
      8,533 degree recipients
    High Relative Number of Students
    1. Iceland
      4.31 times more than expected
    2. Tanzania
      4.04 times more than expected
    3. Montenegro
      3.69 times more than expected

    There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Iceland that hold Interdisciplinary Studies degrees (4.31 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is India (26,993 degree recipients).

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    Skills

    Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Interdisciplinary Studies field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Interdisciplinary Studies majors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Interdisciplinary Studies majors need more than the average amount of Installation, Programming, and Technology Design.

    These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Interdisciplinary Studies majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Installation is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, and Writing are the three most important skills for people in the field.

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    Bar Chart

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