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DOCTORAL DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a doctoral degree in Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 5 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$97,886 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.

$97,886Median year-4 earnings
$16,757Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
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What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$97,886Typical earnings four years after completion
Not availableAverage earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
42thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
92Degrees awarded in 2024–25
5College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 4 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences

How much do Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences doctoral degree graduates earn?

The national median is $97,886 four years after completion across reportable doctoral 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 $97,886 to $100,332 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.

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
$76,463
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$60,453
Federal debt
$24,830
Programs in the comparison
151
139 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$94,048
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
14
14 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$97,886
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
5
5 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$97,886National median$97,88675th percentile$100,332
5 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$100,33275th-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

Stanford University

$120,024 four years after completionStanford, CA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

University of California, San Diego

42 reported awards in 2024–25La Jolla, CA · 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.

$100,332Observed year-4 earnings$92,982
$12,470Annual college-wide average net price$19,604
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.
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Choose colleges offering this exact degree

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

5 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 5 shown
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WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Stanford University$120,0242University of California, San Diego$100,3323Oregon State University$97,8864Oregon State University-Cascades Campus$97,8865The University of Texas at Austin$92,982

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 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.

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.

Doctoral Degree

Chemistry

Year-4 earnings
$116,122
Federal debt
Not available
38 reporting programs →Doctoral Degree

Physics

Year-4 earnings
$163,024
Federal debt
Not available
7 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.