BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a bachelor's degree in Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 151 college programs with reportable data.
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$92,599 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.
16.0 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−37%Estimated return after 10 years
$60,453Observed 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.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$25,470
$8,000Annual price−$57,470
$16,000Current college-wide context−$89,470
$17,000Current college-wide context−$93,470
$24,000Annual price−$121,470
$32,000Annual price−$153,470
$40,000Annual price−$185,470
Outcomes at a glance
$60,453Typical earnings four years after completion
$60,159Average earnings five years after completion
$24,830Typical federal student debt
47thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
43Degrees awarded in 2024–25
139College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 20 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences
How much do Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences bachelor's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $60,453 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 $24,830. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $55,954 to $66,922 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 7 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
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
- $76,463
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $60,453
- Federal debt
- $24,830
- Programs in the comparison
- 151
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $94,048
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 14
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $97,886
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 5
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$55,954National median$60,45375th percentile$66,922
139 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
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 Oklahoma-Norman Campus
$85,207 four years after completionNorman, OK · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtCalifornia State University, Sacramento
$15,000 among completer borrowersSacramento, CA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classPennsylvania State University-Main Campus
82 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.
$81,092Observed year-4 earnings$68,201
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus$15,300 price · $85,207 earningsThe University of Texas at Austin$19,857 price · $83,481 earningsPennsylvania State University-Penn State Beaver$17,418 price · $81,092 earningsPennsylvania State University-Main Campus$32,875 price · $81,092 earningsPennsylvania State University-World Campus$19,550 price · $81,092 earningsUniversity of California, Los Angeles$12,548 price · $79,143 earningsTexas A&M University-College Station$21,315 price · $74,594 earningsTexas Tech University$19,070 price · $74,591 earningsSan Diego State University$15,364 price · $73,647 earningsCalifornia State University, Sacramento$9,338 price · $73,418 earningsUniversity of California, Davis$14,741 price · $73,337 earningsCalifornia State Polytechnic University-Pomona$11,531 price · $73,305 earningsLehigh University$36,931 price · $72,978 earningsColorado State University-Fort Collins$21,279 price · $71,631 earningsUniversity of California, Irvine$14,251 price · $70,820 earningsUniversity of South Carolina-Columbia$22,811 price · $70,284 earningsRutgers University-New Brunswick$24,406 price · $70,106 earningsRutgers University-Newark$19,703 price · $70,106 earningsCalifornia State University, Bakersfield$5,652 price · $69,989 earningsUniversity of Florida$6,541 price · $69,943 earningsUniversity of Florida-Online$4,815 price · $69,943 earningsUniversity of Connecticut$25,097 price · $69,610 earningsUniversity of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus$10,875 price · $69,610 earningsUniversity of Connecticut-Avery Point$13,807 price · $69,610 earningsUniversity of Connecticut-Stamford$16,798 price · $69,610 earningsUniversity of Connecticut-Hartford Campus$16,403 price · $69,610 earningsCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$16,665 price · $69,227 earningsUniversity of Wyoming$13,599 price · $68,883 earningsUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$14,355 price · $68,201 earningsUniversity of Houston$14,276 price · $68,127 earnings
$5,652Annual college-wide average net price$25,097
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 →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus$85,2072The University of Texas at Austin$83,4813Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Beaver$81,0924Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus$81,0925Pennsylvania State University-World Campus$81,0926University of California, Los Angeles$79,1437Texas A&M University-College Station$74,5948Texas Tech University$74,5919San Diego State University$73,64710California State University, Sacramento$73,418Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
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
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →12%
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 rangeAtmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$103,170 median wage9,900 jobs nationwide+2.4% projected growth through 2035 · 800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$59,700–$203,190 typical wage rangeGeoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers$101,920 median wage23,470 jobs nationwide+5.1% projected growth through 2035 · 1,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$59,330–$200,230 typical wage rangeHydrologists$96,600 median wage5,850 jobs nationwide+1.5% projected growth through 2035 · 400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$64,020–$153,130 typical wage rangeChemistry Teachers, Postsecondary$93,250 median wage19,980 jobs nationwide+2.3% projected growth through 2035 · 1,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$57,870–$172,110 typical wage rangeHydrologic Technicians$64,790 median wage2,840 jobs nationwide-1.3% projected growth through 2035 · 400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$44,950–$100,480 typical wage rangeGeological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians$53,350 median wage6,980 jobs nationwide+3.6% projected growth through 2035 · 1,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$35,770–$99,560 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
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.
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.