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Science

Sociologists

Typically requires Master's degree

What is this page & how do I use it?

This is a research report for one career — the kind an analyst would write for a stock. The rating at the top is the neutral baseline (same for everyone); below it come the cases for and against, how the last official forecast for this career actually aged, and what the education path costs and pays.

How to use it: read the bulls-vs-bears case, then hit Score this career to weigh it against your other options with your own interests factored in.

CareerStar rating
MixedMedium uncertainty
top 24% of all 730 careers

Analyst take: Strong market prospects — +3.6% projected growth, moderate AI exposure (54/100).

52
/ 100
low riskhigh
top row = high reward

Moat (borrowed from investing — the water that defends a castle): how shielded this career is from AI. Narrow = some shelter, but AI can reach a real share of its tasks.

The small grid is a style box (borrowed from Morningstar’s fund reports): the blue square places this career on reward (top row = high) versus risk (left column = low), against all 730 careers. Medium uncertainty means the score leans partly on forward-looking bets like AI exposure, so treat the exact number loosely.

🐂 Bulls say
  • +High pay — above 88% of careers ($101,690).
  • +Strong projected growth — outpaces 62% of careers (+3.6%).
🐻 Bears say
  • Its softest spot: it carries some AI exposure (54% of tasks).
📜 Reality check — how the last forecast for this career fared

In 2014, the U.S. government projected -3.8% growth for this career by 2024. What actually happened: +30.8%. Reality beat the forecast — a reminder that every number on this page is an estimate, and this is how the last one aged. Full back-test →

Was this rating fair?
Projected growth
+3.6%
Median pay
$101,690
AI exposure
54/100
share of tasks exposed to AI — not job loss

Education & ROI — how to get here

Real outcomes for the college majors that feed this occupation, across 1,848 bachelor’s programs.

Median earnings
$31,275
1 year after graduating
Typical debt
$25,000
median federal debt
Pay-to-debt
1.3×
first-year pay ÷ debt
Feeder majors
SociologyCriminologySocial SciencesUrban Studies/AffairsBioethics/Medical Ethics
Selective schools offering these majors
Stanford University
CA · 4% admit rate
$87,833/yr
$124,080 grad pay
Harvard University
MA · 4% admit rate
$85,540/yr
$101,817 grad pay
Yale University
CT · 4% admit rate
$88,300/yr
$100,533 grad pay
Columbia University in the City of New York
NY · 4% admit rate
$89,472/yr
$102,491 grad pay
University of Chicago
IL · 4% admit rate
$90,360/yr
$91,885 grad pay
Princeton University
NJ · 5% admit rate
$84,040/yr
$110,066 grad pay

Earnings & debt from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard; majors mapped to this occupation via the NCES CIP→SOC crosswalk. A grounded ROI snapshot, not a guarantee — pay varies widely by school and specialty.

What this work involves

scienceresearchanalysis