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Major · Social Sciences

An interdisciplinary catchall in the social sciences not named elsewhere

Social Sciences, Other (CIP 45.9999) is a catchall code for interdisciplinary or specialized social science programs that do not fit the named CIPs like Sociology, Political Science, Economics, or Anthropology. About 1,279 degrees are awarded annually across 103 colleges, and specific program content varies considerably by institution.

Schools offering
98
Annual completions
1,233
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$55k

About this major

Social Sciences, Other carries CIP code 45.9999, defined as "any instructional program in social sciences not listed above." That phrasing is the point: this is the catchall used when an interdisciplinary or specialized social-science program doesn’t fit the named CIPs — Anthropology (45.0201), Economics (45.0601), Political Science (45.1001), Sociology (45.1101), Urban Studies (45.1201), or the broader Social Sciences, General (45.0101). Specific program content varies considerably by institution. At one school it may be an interdisciplinary social-science major with public-policy electives; at another, an area-studies or quantitative-methods variant.

The major typically rewards students who like reading across disciplines rather than going deep in one. Comfort with both qualitative argument and quantitative evidence helps, since coursework usually pulls from sociology, political science, economics, and geography. Strong writing and the ability to synthesize disparate sources matter more here than in single-discipline tracks. Students who already know they want, for example, to become an economist or a sociologist are usually better served by a named CIP — the transcript reads cleaner to recruiters and graduate admissions committees.

On the scale and destination side, 103 colleges grant degrees under this code, producing 1,279 completions per year — thin numbers that reflect administrative grouping more than a true small-cohort design. Towson University leads with 201 graduates, followed by UC Berkeley (152) and NYU (89). The career data lists three destinations: "Managers, all other" ($136,550, mid-career), "Social scientists and related workers, all other" ($100,340, bachelor’s-level but with -1.7% projected growth), and postsecondary social sciences teachers ($75,040, doctoral). Five-year median earnings sit at $55,214 — close to the $50,571 figure for the much larger Social Sciences, General sibling.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Managers, all other $137k +4.5% Bachelor's degree
Social scientists and related workers, all other $100k -1.7% Bachelor's degree
Social sciences teachers, postsecondary, all other $75k +1.7% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$55k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$37k

Bachelor's

$57k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you’re genuinely curious across multiple social sciences and don’t want to commit to one named discipline yet, if you’re considering law school, public policy, or a master’s program where breadth reads as preparation rather than indecision, if your target school’s 45.9999 program has a course list you can defend (Towson, UC Berkeley, and NYU all use this code differently), if you can write strong analytical prose under pressure, and if the $56,812 bachelor’s-level five-year earnings figure is an acceptable starting point given graduate study is the typical follow-on.

Think twice if you already know the named discipline you want — Sociology, Political Science, or Economics will read more cleanly on a transcript than the 45.9999 catchall, and the graduate destinations from those tracks are better-mapped. Reconsider also if the career destinations matter to you in their literal form: "Managers, all other" at $136,550 is a mid-career outcome that comes from a decade of work experience, not from the bachelor’s itself, and the social-scientist category shows -1.7% projected growth. And if you’re hoping the major itself signals expertise, note that the 1,279 annual completions reflect administrative classification — many similar students sit inside the much larger Social Sciences, General code (14,846) instead, which can make the named version a stronger choice.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Social Sciences, Other

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA 0 223 223
Towson University Towson, MD 0 149 149
University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA 0 69 69
University of Southern Maine Portland, ME 0 65 65
New York University New York, NY 0 63 63
Rose State College Midwest City, OK 52 0 52
University of Maine at Presque Isle Presque Isle, ME 0 44 44
Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY 0 36 36
University of Rochester Rochester, NY 0 31 31
Eastern Oregon University La Grande, OR 0 31 31
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Social Sciences, General

14,451 completions/yr

Learning Sciences

2,894 completions/yr

Human Biology

2,223 completions/yr

Urban Studies/Affairs

815 completions/yr

Medical/Health Humanities

294 completions/yr

Physical Sciences, Other

271 completions/yr

Animal Sciences, Other

255 completions/yr

Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods

212 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Social Sciences, Other majors actually study day-to-day?
The CIP definition is deliberately broad: "any instructional program in social sciences not listed above." In practice, that means coursework varies considerably by institution. At Towson University (201 graduates per year), the program functions as a broad social science liberal-arts track; at UC Berkeley (152) or NYU (89), it often appears as an interdisciplinary or area-studies major. You should expect a mix of sociology, political science, economics, anthropology, and geography courses rather than a single named discipline.
How does this compare to Social Sciences, General (CIP 45.0101)?
Social Sciences, General is the much larger sibling: 14,846 completions across 463 colleges versus 1,279 across 103 here. The General code is used when a program is an undifferentiated survey of the social sciences, while the Other code (45.9999) tends to capture interdisciplinary or specialized variants that don’t fit any named CIP. Earnings are similar — $55,214 five-year median here versus $50,571 for General — so the practical difference is mostly administrative classification rather than career outcome.
What kinds of jobs do graduates end up in?
The packet lists three destinations and they share a pattern: "Managers, all other" at $136,550 median, "Social scientists and related workers, all other" at $100,340, and postsecondary social sciences teachers at $75,040. The first is a mid-career outcome reached after years of industry experience, not an entry-level role. The third typically requires a doctoral degree. The middle category — social scientist roles — is the most realistic bachelor’s-level destination, though the projected growth is -1.7%.
Is the bachelor’s a standalone credential or a graduate-school launching pad?
Both, depending on destination. Bachelor’s completers report a $56,812 five-year median versus $36,573 for associate’s — a meaningful gap that signals the bachelor’s is the working credential here. But the strongest career outcomes in the data depend on graduate work: postsecondary teaching needs a doctorate, and the highest-paying "social scientist" roles in practice favor master’s degrees. Treat the bachelor’s as a flexible foundation that funnels naturally into graduate study, law school, or public-policy work.
Why does this CIP exist if Social Sciences, General already does?
Mostly administrative. Universities use 45.9999 when a program is interdisciplinary, specialized, or doesn’t cleanly fit a named CIP — for example, an interdisciplinary social-science major with strong public-policy or area-studies content. The 1,279 national completions are thin, and many students who would otherwise sit here are rolled into the broader 45.0101 category. The label on your transcript will read whatever the institution chose; what matters more is the actual course list.
What if I want a more focused social-science major?
The related-major data points to several directions inside the same concentration: Social Sciences, General (14,846 completions) for a broader survey, Urban Studies/Affairs (806) for a city-and-policy focus, and Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (145) for a quantitative-analytical track. Outside the concentration, Human Biology (2,094) and Learning Sciences (2,959) overlap on shared SOC career destinations. Picking a named CIP can make your transcript and career narrative easier to explain to recruiters and graduate programs.