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ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a associate's degree in Physical Sciences, General worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 24 college programs with reportable data.

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

−$54,077 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.

20.3 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−51%Estimated return after 10 years
$50,266Observed 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.

What stays fixed$50,266 observed annual earnings · 2 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

$50,266Typical earnings four years after completion
$45,944Average earnings five years after completion
$8,813Typical federal student debt
55thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
24College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 0 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Physical Sciences, General

How much do Physical Sciences, General associate's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $50,266 four years after completion across reportable associate's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $8,813. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Physical Sciences, General?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $41,042 to $59,243 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Physical Sciences, General?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 2 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.

CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$50,266
Federal debt
$8,813
Programs in the comparison
24
24 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$68,781
Federal debt
$22,250
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$41,042National median$50,26675th percentile$59,243
24 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$59,24375th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$8,813Median federal debt across programs that report it
2Programs 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

Green River College

$77,477 four years after completionAuburn, WA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Middlesex College

$7,250 among completer borrowersEdison, NJ · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Richard Bland College

155 reported awards in 2024–25South Prince George, VA · 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.

$67,944Observed year-4 earnings$34,499
$4,458Annual college-wide average net price$13,470
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.

24 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 24 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Green River College$77,4772Clark College$76,8893Middlesex College$67,9444Rockland Community College$62,1425Western Nevada College$61,5756Diablo Valley College$59,7237College of Staten Island CUNY$59,2438Jackson College$54,7349CUNY Medgar Evers College$50,87110University of New Mexico-Gallup Campus$50,266

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 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.

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.

NY9 programs$46,438 average earningsNM5 programs$50,266 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.