Behavioral Sciences graduates earn $48,673 four years out. The middle 50% of earners fall between $32,105 and $65,920. Where you land depends on specialization, employer, and how far you advance in the field.
This page covers Behavioral Sciences as a course of study: what it costs, where it is taught, and what graduates go on to earn. It sits inside the wider field of Interdisciplinary Studies and how it pays overall, which is the better comparison if you are still choosing between subjects.
Behavioral Sciences is a focused area of study within Interdisciplinary Studies. Pick this and you can expect to earn around $48,673 four years out, a modest return for a focused credential. You will not have trouble finding it: 132 colleges offer this program, from community colleges to research universities. About 4,777 students complete it each year. The focus is on writing, analysis, and communication that transfer across industries.
Median Earnings · 1yr
$33,439
Median Earnings · 4yr
$48,673
Colleges Offering
132
Graduates / Year
4,777
Avg Net Price / yr
$21,441
How Much Do Behavioral Sciences Graduates Earn?
Four years after finishing Behavioral Sciences, a typical graduate earns $48,673, below average for bachelor's degree holders. Half of earners land somewhere between $32,105 and $65,920, so where you end up depends on the job and the employer. Do not judge the field on a starting paycheck alone: pay tends to jump in the first few years, climbing from $33,439 at one year out to $48,673 by year four. Source: College Scorecard.
Starting salaries only. Earnings in this field grow substantially in the first 3 to 5 years.
$48,673
4-Year National Median
Below average for bachelor's degree holders.
$47,913
4-Year Institutional Median
Median of per-school medians. Each reporting college counts equally, regardless of size.
Earnings Range
Not every Behavioral Sciences graduate ends up in the same place. Earnings spread out a moderate amount, so know what pushes people to one end or the other. Career path divergence explains most of the range. Law, consulting, and tech-adjacent roles pull the top end up; writing, education, and nonprofit roles tend to sit near the bottom.
$32,10525th pct.
$48,673Median
$65,92075th pct.
Understanding the Cost vs. Return
At median 4-year earnings of $48,673 and an estimated $85,764 four-year net cost, earnings breakeven against a baseline wage takes approximately 4.6 years. Compare specific programs before committing to a high-cost option.
Based on outcomes from 75 schools.
Colleges with fewer than 30 graduates are excluded from national averages.
Who Studies This? Credential Breakdown
Of the 4,777 students who complete Behavioral Sciences programs each year, the majority (39%) earn a bachelor's degree.
The breakdown below shows the full credential distribution.
39%36%
Bachelor's39%
Master's36%
Associate's18%
What Can You Do With a Behavioral Sciences Degree?
This degree does not lock you into one job. Behavioral Sciences graduates show up in 3 different occupations, and Social and Community Service Managers pay the most at $80,390/yr median. Expand any card below to see daily responsibilities, in-demand skills, and 10-year growth projections.
Social PerceptivenessService OrientationActive ListeningMonitoringCoordination
Day-to-day responsibilities
Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of a social service program or community outreach organization. Oversee the program or organization's budget and policies regarding participant involvement, program requirements, and benefits. Work may involve directing social workers, counselors, or probation officers.
Establish and oversee administrative procedures to meet objectives set by boards of directors or senior management.
Direct activities of professional and technical staff members and volunteers.
Evaluate the work of staff and volunteers to ensure that programs are of appropriate quality and that resources are used effectively.
Teach courses in psychology, such as child, clinical, and developmental psychology, and psychological counseling. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as abnormal psychology, cognitive processes, and work motivation.
Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.
Reading ComprehensionWritingCritical ThinkingActive ListeningComplex Problem Solving
Day-to-day responsibilities
Assist social scientists in laboratory, survey, and other social science research. May help prepare findings for publication and assist in laboratory analysis, quality control, or data management.
Design and create special programs for tasks such as statistical analysis and data entry and cleaning.
Provide assistance with the preparation of project-related reports, manuscripts, and presentations.
Prepare tables, graphs, fact sheets, and written reports summarizing research results.
Top Colleges for Behavioral Sciences
Not sure where to study Behavioral Sciences? These 20 colleges graduate the most students in it each year. Scroll right to compare acceptance rate, net price, and median earnings side by side.
Ranked by Behavioral Sciences graduate volume. Scroll right to compare key stats.
Read our methodology →
Related Interdisciplinary Studies Programs
Behavioral Sciences is not the only path through Interdisciplinary Studies: 38 other specializations sit alongside it. The comparison below ranks them by 4-year median earnings so you can see where this one lands.
Decide with data, not guesswork. These tools turn the numbers on this page
into a personal plan. Estimate the real cost of a Behavioral Sciences program, compare colleges side-by-side, weigh the long-term payoff, and find
schools that match your profile.
Behavioral Sciences carries financial trade-offs prospective students should weigh carefully. The 3 strengths and 3 concerns below are drawn from College Scorecard earnings, BLS job growth data, and IPEDS completion counts.
PROS
Strong salary growthMedian earnings climb from $33,439 at graduation to $48,673 four years later, a clear sign of career momentum in this field.
Positive job outlookRelated careers project up to +7.2% job growth over the next 10 years, a solid signal for long-term demand.
Strong hiring volumeRelated occupations generate more than 27,100 job openings per year combined, creating consistent demand for graduates.
CONS
Modest median earningsFour-year median of $48,673 lags STEM and business fields, affecting ROI at higher-cost programs.
Advanced degree often expectedTop roles in this field typically expect a master's degree or higher. A bachelor's may be a starting point rather than a terminal credential for the most competitive positions.
High earnings varianceGap between 25th ($32,105) and 75th ($65,920) percentile is wide. Where you land depends heavily on employer, role, and location.
$48,673 four years after finishing the program. Half of graduates land between $32,105 and $65,920, so employer, role, and location move that number more than the degree itself. Source: College Scorecard.
What is the starting salary for a Behavioral Sciences degree?
$33,439 in the first year out. That grows to $48,673 by year four, so do not judge this field on the entry-level number alone. Most of the gain shows up once you clear the first few years and move past entry-level roles. Source: College Scorecard.
What jobs can you get with a Behavioral Sciences degree?
Social and Community Service Managers are one path, and it pays a median of $80,390 a year. It is not the only one: the Career Paths section below lists every occupation graduates actually go into, with wages and 10-year growth for each.
How long does a Behavioral Sciences program take?
Four years of full-time study for a Behavioral Sciences bachelor's degree, the standard timeline for this field. If you want a faster route into the workforce, community colleges offer a two-year associate option instead.
How many colleges offer Behavioral Sciences?
132 colleges and universities, so you are not short on options. That range runs from community colleges granting certificates and associate degrees to research universities with full doctoral tracks. Source: IPEDS.
Is a Behavioral Sciences degree worth it?
$48,673 median earnings four years out against $21,441 a year in average net price. That is a slow payback, so cost matters more than usual here: a cheaper school changes the answer. Use the Top Colleges section below to compare specific schools before deciding. Source: College Scorecard.
What is the difference between Behavioral Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies?
Behavioral Sciences is the narrower of the two: Interdisciplinary Studies covers the full discipline, while this program limits the curriculum to Behavioral Sciences-specific courses, skills, and career tracks. Pick the specialization once you already know this is the direction you want; it gets you a more targeted credential, not a broader one.
What skills do employers look for in Behavioral Sciences graduates?
Coursework alone will not get you hired. Employers hiring Behavioral Sciences graduates consistently look for writing, critical analysis, and cross-cultural communication. Employers value the ability to synthesize complex information clearly, skills that transfer into communications, law, consulting, and content roles. Build those into your coursework and internships now, and the job search later gets easier.
What is the job outlook for Behavioral Sciences graduates?
Outlook is moderate overall: related occupations average +5.4% projected job growth over the next 10 years. Social and Community Service Managers are among the strongest-growth roles at +7.2%. That average hides real differences by role and location, so check the Career Paths section below for the projection on each specific occupation before you count on any single number.
Related Interdisciplinary Studies Programs
Other programs in Interdisciplinary Studies. Compare earnings, credentials, and career paths before committing to a specialization.
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