Oregon·Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations·SOC 19-3099

Best Social Scientist programs in Oregon, ranked by enrollment

All social scientists and related workers not listed.

15 schools in Oregon run programs that feed this job, graduating 751 people a year. The job pays a median of $95,900 in Oregon across about 350 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledPlannerProgram OfficerTransportation PlannerTransportation Data Programs ManagerLinguistDemographerEthnologistEtymologist
Graduates / yr
751
in Oregon
Median pay · Oregon
$95,900
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
350
people employed
Schools
15
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
53%
across those schools
Median net price
$30,571
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Oregon that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

Social Sciences
CIP 45.01
Social Sciences
482graduates / yr
6 schools · 1 specialization · 64.2% of pipeline
Grad earnings $35,590
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
CIP 30.33
Sustainability Studies
82graduates / yr
6 schools · 1 specialization · 10.9% of pipeline
Grad earnings $37,223
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
CIP 30.11
Gerontology
35graduates / yr
5 schools · 1 specialization · 4.7% of pipeline
Grad earnings $37,623
Social Sciences
CIP 45.99
Social Sciences
31graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 4.1% of pipeline
Grad earnings $36,279
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
CIP 30.05
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
28graduates / yr
4 schools · 1 specialization · 3.7% of pipeline
Grad earnings $40,929
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
CIP 30.44
Geography and Environmental Studies
27graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 3.6% of pipeline
Grad earnings
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
CIP 30.17
Behavioral Sciences
25graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 3.3% of pipeline
Grad earnings $36,206
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
CIP 30.26
Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis
14graduates / yr
2 schools · 1 specialization · 1.9% of pipeline
Grad earnings $21,458
Natural Resources And Conservation
CIP 03.02
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy
9graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 1.2% of pipeline
Grad earnings $37,946
Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
CIP 16.01
Linguistic
6graduates / yr
2 schools · 1 specialization · 0.8% of pipeline
Grad earnings $27,449
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
CIP 30.46
History and Political Science
5graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 0.7% of pipeline
Grad earnings
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
CIP 30.23
Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies
3graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 0.4% of pipeline
Grad earnings $25,750
Education
CIP 13.06
Educational Assessment
2graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 0.3% of pipeline
Grad earnings $33,086
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
CIP 30.27
Human Biology
2graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 0.3% of pipeline
Grad earnings $31,690

14 programs in Oregon that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Oregon (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Oregon page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 45.0101In Oregon
482
64.2%
6$35,590$24,095
2
CIP 30.3301In Oregon
82
10.9%
6$37,223$20,968
3
CIP 30.1101In Oregon
35
4.7%
5$37,623$25,986
4
CIP 45.9999In Oregon
31
4.1%
1$36,279$25,312
5
CIP 30.0501In Oregon
28
3.7%
4$40,929$25,000
6
CIP 30.4401In Oregon
27
3.6%
1
7
CIP 30.1701In Oregon
25
3.3%
1$36,206$29,240
8
CIP 30.2601In Oregon
14
1.9%
2$21,458$21,125
9
CIP 03.0209In Oregon
9
1.2%
1$37,946$24,125
10
CIP 16.0199In Oregon
6
0.8%
2$27,449$20,824
11
CIP 30.4601In Oregon
5
0.7%
1
12
CIP 30.2301In Oregon
3
0.4%
1$25,750$18,622
13
CIP 13.0603In Oregon
2
0.3%
1$33,086$26,000
14
CIP 30.2701In Oregon
2
0.3%
1$31,690$17,312

Top 15 schools in Oregon

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 5 of the 15 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of Oregon
Eugene, OR Public · 5 feeder programs
304Social Sciences, General$38,14772%88%
2Portland State University
Portland, OR Public · 4 feeder programs
216Social Sciences, General$35,09353%91%
3Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR Public · 6 feeder programs
88Sustainability Studies70%77%
4George Fox University
Newberg, OR Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
38Behavioral Sciences$34,61372%$26,56494%
5Eastern Oregon University
La Grande, OR Public · 2 feeder programs
34Social Sciences, Other$42,34743%98%
6Western Oregon University
Monmouth, OR Public · 3 feeder programs
26Social Sciences, General$34,24547%98%
7Portland Community College
Portland, OR Public · 1 feeder programs
11Gerontology18%
8Willamette University
Salem, OR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
8Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis71%$20,34577%
9Southern Oregon University
Ashland, OR Public · 2 feeder programs
7Sustainability Studies43%89%
10Pacific Northwest College of Art
Portland, OR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
6Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis29%$40,55375%
11Clackamas Community College
Oregon City, OR Public · 1 feeder programs
3Gerontology23%
12Warner Pacific University
Portland, OR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Social Sciences, General49%$19,34371%
13Western Seminary
Portland, OR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies
14Pacific University
Forest Grove, OR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Sustainability Studies67%$30,57190%
15University of Portland
Portland, OR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Human Biology80%$33,82289%

All 15 schools in Oregon

Every school in Oregon with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Oregon that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of OregonEugenePublic3045
Portland State UniversityPortlandPublic2164
Oregon State UniversityCorvallisPublic886
George Fox UniversityNewbergPrivate not-for-profit383
Eastern Oregon UniversityLa GrandePublic342
Western Oregon UniversityMonmouthPublic263
Portland Community CollegePortlandPublic111
Willamette UniversitySalemPrivate not-for-profit81
Southern Oregon UniversityAshlandPublic72
Pacific Northwest College of ArtPortlandPrivate not-for-profit61
Clackamas Community CollegeOregon CityPublic31
Warner Pacific UniversityPortlandPrivate not-for-profit31
Western SeminaryPortlandPrivate not-for-profit31
Pacific UniversityForest GrovePrivate not-for-profit21
University of PortlandPortlandPrivate not-for-profit21

What social scientists and related workers, all other earn in Oregon

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Oregon
$95,900
Mean annual
$100,460
Jobs in state
350
What the range looks like
10th pct$73,920Median$95,90090th pct$129,060
Versus the national median
-5.2%

U.S. median $101,110. Oregon pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.75×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Oregon

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
$96,460median
240 jobs
Eugene-Springfield, OR
$95,020median
40 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
-1.7%
Decline
Openings per year
3,200
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
-700
40,800 → 40,100
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other page.

How to become a Social Scientist

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningCritical ThinkingWritingSpeakingActive Learning

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Oregon

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 25 majors mapped to Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other25 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 03.0209Energy and Environmental Policy
  • 13.0601Educational Evaluation and Research
  • 13.0603Educational Statistics and Research Methods
  • 13.0604Educational Assessment, Testing, and Measurement
  • 13.0607Learning Sciences
  • 13.0699Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research, Other
  • 16.0199Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services, Other
  • 19.0702Adult Development and Aging
  • 30.0501Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
  • 30.1001Biopsychology
  • 30.1101Gerontology
  • 30.1701Behavioral Sciences
  • 30.2101Holocaust and Related Studies
  • 30.2301Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies
  • 30.2601Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis
  • 30.2701Human Biology
  • 30.3301Sustainability Studies
  • 30.3401Anthrozoology
  • 30.4001Economics and Foreign Language/Literature
  • 30.4201Geoarcheaology
  • 30.4401Geography and Environmental Studies
  • 30.4601History and Political Science
  • 30.4701Linguistics and Anthropology
  • 30.5101Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
  • 44.0502Education Policy Analysis

Common questions

Answers for people weighing social scientists and related workers, all other programs in Oregon.

What degree do you need to become a Social Scientist?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Social Sciences, General, which awarded 482 degrees in Oregon in 2024-25, 64.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Social Scientist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 14 programs to this occupation. The largest are Social Sciences, Sustainability Studies, Gerontology, Social Sciences, plus 10 more. Together they graduate about 751 people a year in Oregon.

How much do social scientists and related workers, all other earn in Oregon?+

The median is $95,900 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 5.2% below the U.S. median of $101,110. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for social scientists and related workers, all other growing?+

BLS projects a -1.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 3,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Oregon?+

15 institutions in Oregon reported graduates from at least one of the 14 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do social scientists and related workers, all other work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Planner, Program Officer, Transportation Planner, Transportation Data Programs Manager among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-3099.

Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other in other statesCaliforniaUtahNew YorkMassachusettsIndianaIllinoisVirginiaTexas

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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