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MASTER'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a master's degree in Geography and Cartography worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 17 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$87,165 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$87,165Median year-4 earnings
$21,513Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$87,165Typical earnings four years after completion
$85,452Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
59thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
8Degrees awarded in 2024–25
17College 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 Geography and Cartography

How much do Geography and Cartography master's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $87,165 four years after completion across reportable master's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.

Does the college matter for Geography and Cartography?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $78,144 to $100,602 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Geography and Cartography?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 5 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
$59,554
Federal debt
$22,197
Programs in the comparison
17
15 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$57,751
Federal debt
$22,716
Programs in the comparison
130
118 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$77,018
Federal debt
$20,830
Programs in the comparison
4
4 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$87,165
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
17
17 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$86,247
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
3
3 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$78,144National median$87,16575th percentile$100,602
17 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$100,60275th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
Not availableMedian federal debt across programs that report it
0Programs 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

George Mason University

$114,744 four years after completionFairfax, VA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Pennsylvania State University-World Campus

61 reported awards in 2024–25University Park, PA · 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.

$111,616Observed year-4 earnings$69,050
$10,163Annual college-wide average net price$36,131
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.

17 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 17 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1George Mason University$114,7442University of Wisconsin-Madison$111,6163Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus$102,7984Pennsylvania State University-World Campus$102,7985George Washington University$100,6026University of Denver$90,6047University of Washington-Seattle Campus$90,4188University of Washington-Tacoma Campus$90,4189California State University, Long Beach$87,16510University of Southern California$83,256

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.

Managers, All Other$141,900 median wage622,190 jobs nationwide+4.9% projected growth through 2035 · 100,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$74,300–$238,270 typical wage rangeGeographers$102,040 median wage1,400 jobs nationwide-2.1% projected growth through 2035 · 100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$66,770–$136,660 typical wage rangeGeography Teachers, Postsecondary$97,590 median wage3,330 jobs nationwide+2.7% projected growth through 2035 · 300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$52,550–$165,460 typical wage rangeSurveying and Mapping Technicians$54,240 median wage58,010 jobs nationwide+5.8% projected growth through 2035 · 6,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$37,520–$81,630 typical wage rangeCartographers and Photogrammetrists$81,390 median wage14,260 jobs nationwide+7.4% projected growth through 2035 · 900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$53,740–$126,950 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.

Master's Degree

International Relations and National Security Studies

Year-4 earnings
$91,052
Federal debt
Not available
40 reporting programs →Master's Degree

Economics

Year-4 earnings
$104,085
Federal debt
Not available
22 reporting programs →Master's Degree

Political Science and Government

Year-4 earnings
$75,523
Federal debt
Not available
16 reporting programs →Master's Degree

Criminology

Year-4 earnings
$67,163
Federal debt
Not available
15 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.