Data Science, General Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Data Science, General maps to BLS occupations averaging about $64,987, with roughly 1,596,050 workers nationwide in those roles. About 2,479 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median program completion runs near 61%.
Key Statistics
Data Science, General: what the data shows
Common questions about data science, general degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a data science, general degree?
A Data Science, General program is classified under NCES CIP 30.7001 in the Data Science field family (30.70).
A program that focuses on the analysis of large scale data sources from the interdisciplinary perspectives of applied statistics, computer science, data storage, data representation, data modeling, mathematics, and statistics. Includes instruction in computer algorithms, computer programming, data management, data mining, information policy, information retrieval, mathematical modeling, quantitative analysis, statistics, trend spotting, and visual analytics
IPEDS counted 2,479 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
How long does it take to get a data science, general degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 30.7001 in our file:
- 52 Associate (0.7% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 2,479 Bachelor's (35.7% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 4,322 Master's (62.2% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 92 Doctorate (1.3% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in data science, general?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Teachers, Postsecondary (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a data science, general degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Data Science, General to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,500,000 | — |
| Secondary School Teachers | 1,072,540 | $64,580 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a data science, general degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $10,936 and median net price is $19,023.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Data Science, General and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$10,936 Median In-State Public
$47,850 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Data Science, General majors are, on average, $10,936 for in-state public colleges, and $47,850 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Data Science, General programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
2,479 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Data Science, General from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Data Science, General.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 2 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,615 |
| 3 | University of Central Florida | FL | 59,146 |
| 4 | Arizona State University Digital Immersion | AZ | 53,782 |
| 5 | Miami Dade College | FL | 46,182 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Data Science, General programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Monica College | CA | $1,156 |
| 2 | Hillsborough Community College | FL | $2,506 |
| 3 | Saint Johns River State College | FL | $2,591 |
| 4 | St Petersburg College | FL | $2,682 |
| 5 | Washtenaw Community College | MI | $2,736 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Data Science, General programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Petersburg College | FL | $1,471 |
| 2 | Carroll Community College | MD | $2,725 |
| 3 | Carroll Community College | MD | $2,725 |
| 4 | Santa Monica College | CA | $2,779 |
| 5 | CUNY Hunter College | NY | $2,984 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Data Science, General programs.
Graduation Rates
60.88% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
60.09% Average Graduation Rate
285 Institutions Reporting
50.58% - 69.93% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Data Science, General programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Data Science, General is in WI (438 completions). That state represents about 17.7% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is WI (0.58% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| WI | 438 | 17.7% | 0.58% |
| VA | 215 | 8.7% | 0.17% |
| NY | 202 | 8.2% | 0.07% |
| PA | 192 | 7.8% | 0.11% |
| TX | 168 | 6.8% | 0.06% |
| MI | 162 | 6.5% | 0.14% |
| MA | 124 | 5.0% | 0.10% |
| AZ | 122 | 4.9% | 0.09% |
| IL | 98 | 4.0% | 0.07% |
| MD | 98 | 4.0% | 0.13% |
| OH | 94 | 3.8% | 0.07% |
| MN | 70 | 2.8% | 0.08% |
| OR | 67 | 2.7% | 0.15% |
| CO | 49 | 2.0% | 0.07% |
| NC | 44 | 1.8% | 0.04% |
| MO | 39 | 1.6% | 0.06% |
| FL | 36 | 1.4% | 0.02% |
| IA | 29 | 1.2% | 0.06% |
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 30.7001 in the survey year used in our extract (6,945 total across levels below).
- 52 Associate (0.7% of IPEDS total)
- 2,479 Bachelor's (35.7% of IPEDS total)
- 4,322 Master's (62.2% of IPEDS total)
- 92 Doctorate (1.3% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $64,987. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Data Science, General graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers, Postsecondary | $36,511 | 1,500,000 |
| Secondary School Teachers | $104,813 | 1,072,540 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$40,621 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Data Science, General majors is $40,621.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Data Science, General majors.
Occupations by Share
1,596,050 2023 Workforce
The number of Data Science, General graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Data Science, General by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Data Science, General in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Data Science, General.
Age distribution for Data Science, General degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
2,479 Total Degrees Awarded
1,598 Male (64.46%)
881 Female (35.54%)
Gender distribution of Data Science, General degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
1,016 White (40.98%)
465 Asian (18.76%)
172 Hispanic or Latino (6.94%)
95 Two or More Races (3.83%)
83 Black or African American (3.35%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Data Science, General degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Data Science, General are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Data Science, General.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Data Science, General field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Data Science, General majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Data Science, General majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Data Science, General majors.
About
A program that focuses on the analysis of large scale data sources from the interdisciplinary perspectives of applied statistics, computer science, data storage, data representation, data modeling, mathematics, and statistics. Includes instruction in computer algorithms, computer programming, data management, data mining, information policy, information retrieval, mathematical modeling, quantitative analysis, statistics, trend spotting, and visual analytics
In 2023, 2,479 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Data Science, General.
CIP Code
30.7001 - Data Science, General
What the data shows
Men earned 37.4% of 7,668 Data Science, General completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $64,987. The largest mapped role by headcount is Teachers, Postsecondary (1,500,000 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $10,936 in-state at public colleges and $47,850 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.