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BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a bachelor's degree in Behavioral Sciences worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 25 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$226,748 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.

72.0 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−86%Estimated return after 10 years
$48,657Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$48,657 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$48,657Typical earnings four years after completion
$44,301Average earnings five years after completion
$26,945Typical federal student debt
17thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
3Degrees awarded in 2024–25
23College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 1 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Behavioral Sciences

How much do Behavioral Sciences bachelor's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $48,657 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $26,945. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Behavioral Sciences?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $45,157 to $50,081 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Behavioral Sciences?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 7 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$44,026
Federal debt
$24,721
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$41,634
Federal debt
$11,371
Programs in the comparison
6
5 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$48,657
Federal debt
$26,945
Programs in the comparison
25
23 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$67,975
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
4
4 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$125,925
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$62,923
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$45,157National median$48,65775th percentile$50,081
23 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$50,08175th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$26,945Median federal debt across programs that report it
3Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

University of Kansas

$58,883 four years after completionLawrence, KS · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Purdue University Northwest

$16,012 among completer borrowersHammond, IN · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

The University of Arizona Global Campus

150 reported awards in 2024–25Chandler, AZ · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$57,325Observed year-4 earnings$35,817
$6,079Annual college-wide average net price$31,266
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

22 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 22 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1University of Kansas$58,8832Northern Michigan University$57,3253George Fox University$56,4404University of California, Santa Cruz$54,6065University of Houston-Clear Lake$51,1516York College of Pennsylvania$50,6347Wilmington University$50,0818California Baptist University$48,9229University of Phoenix-Arizona$48,65710Concordia University-Nebraska$48,215

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Psychologists, All Other$110,840 median wage18,820 jobs nationwide+2.3% projected growth through 2035 · 3,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$54,990–$168,520 typical wage rangeSocial Scientists and Related Workers, All Other$101,110 median wage37,100 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 2,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$66,120–$160,300 typical wage rangeLife Scientists, All Other$93,750 median wage7,460 jobs nationwide+6.3% projected growth through 2035 · 400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$58,670–$186,260 typical wage rangeSocial and Community Service Managers$80,390 median wage209,330 jobs nationwide+7.2% projected growth through 2035 · 18,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$53,150–$132,260 typical wage rangePsychology Teachers, Postsecondary$80,340 median wage41,530 jobs nationwide+4.0% projected growth through 2035 · 3,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$49,050–$153,600 typical wage rangeSocial Science Research Assistants$61,990 median wage30,640 jobs nationwide+5.0% projected growth through 2035 · 4,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$38,090–$102,070 typical wage rangeCommunity and Social Service Specialists, All Other$56,730 median wage107,730 jobs nationwide+5.5% projected growth through 2035 · 11,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$37,310–$84,210 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Bachelor's Degree

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other

Year-4 earnings
$54,816
Federal debt
$25,687
227 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

International/Globalization Studies

Year-4 earnings
$56,538
Federal debt
$21,966
90 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General

Year-4 earnings
$50,074
Federal debt
$26,000
76 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Nutrition Sciences

Year-4 earnings
$60,728
Federal debt
$24,418
55 reporting programs →

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.