MASTER'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a master's degree in Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 14 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$94,048 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.
$94,048Median year-4 earnings
$17,035Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$94,048Typical earnings four years after completion
$89,221Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
65thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
1Degrees awarded in 2024–25
14College 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.
Four useful answers about Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences
How much do Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences master's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $94,048 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 Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $83,661 to $99,705 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$83,661National median$94,04875th percentile$99,705
14 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.
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.
$110,277Observed year-4 earnings$63,901
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus$15,300 price · $164,523 earningsUniversity of Houston$14,276 price · $110,277 earningsColorado School of Mines$28,690 price · $109,407 earningsUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette$13,530 price · $106,248 earningsThe University of Texas at El Paso$9,403 price · $99,705 earningsCalifornia State University, Fresno$7,000 price · $97,545 earningsTexas A&M University-College Station$21,315 price · $96,433 earningsMontana Technological University$16,481 price · $91,662 earningsMississippi State University$17,595 price · $86,410 earningsUniversity of North Carolina Wilmington$20,109 price · $84,961 earningsUniversity of Rhode Island$21,440 price · $83,661 earningsGeorgia State University$15,931 price · $74,484 earningsLouisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College$19,151 price · $73,636 earningsThe University of Texas at Dallas$18,267 price · $63,901 earnings
$7,000Annual college-wide average net price$21,440
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
14 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 14 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus$164,5232University of Houston$110,2773Colorado School of Mines$109,4074University of Louisiana at Lafayette$106,2485The University of Texas at El Paso$99,7056California State University, Fresno$97,5457Texas A&M University-College Station$96,4338Montana Technological University$91,6629Mississippi State University$86,41010University of North Carolina Wilmington$84,961Observed 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.
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.