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BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a bachelor's degree in Biological and Physical Sciences worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 39 college programs with reportable data.

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

−$82,465 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.

14.6 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−31%Estimated return after 10 years
$63,018Observed earnings · year 4
$45Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0

The price benchmark would need to fall by $20,616 per year to reach it.

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$63,018 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

$63,018Typical earnings four years after completion
$65,428Average earnings five years after completion
$26,000Typical federal student debt
51thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
33College 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 Biological and Physical Sciences

How much do Biological and Physical Sciences bachelor's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $63,018 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 $26,000. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Biological and Physical Sciences?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $56,995 to $69,102 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Biological and Physical Sciences?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 3 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

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$50,340
Federal debt
$8,639
Programs in the comparison
86
85 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$63,018
Federal debt
$26,000
Programs in the comparison
39
33 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$117,497
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
7
7 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$56,995National median$63,01875th percentile$69,102
33 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$69,10275th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$26,000Median federal debt across programs that report it
11Programs 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 Notre Dame

$102,801 four years after completionNotre Dame, IN · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

CUNY Hunter College

$10,348 among completer borrowersNew York, NY · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Portland State University

133 reported awards in 2024–25Portland, OR · 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.

$71,028Observed year-4 earnings$51,889
$3,968Annual college-wide average net price$34,649
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.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1University of Notre Dame$102,8012Thomas Edison State University$90,5073Empire State University$71,0664Indiana University of Pennsylvania$71,0285Fordham University$70,1016Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College$69,1027Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Scranton$69,1028Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks$69,1029Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg$69,10210Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus$69,102

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.

Natural Sciences Managers$167,220 median wage108,690 jobs nationwide+8.2% projected growth through 2035 · 9,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$79,710–$316,850 typical wage rangePostsecondary Teachers, All Other$77,640 median wage149,840 jobs nationwide+2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 12,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$44,300–$160,700 typical wage rangeSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 median wage1,065,210 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 63,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,780–$107,600 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 →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

PA13 programs$65,939 average earnings

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.