BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a bachelor's degree in Social Sciences, General worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 95 college programs with reportable data.
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$184,314 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.
36.0 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−72%Estimated return after 10 years
$52,095Observed 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−$109,050
$8,000Annual price−$141,050
$16,000Annual price−$173,050
$19,000Current college-wide context−$185,050
$24,000Annual price−$205,050
$32,000Annual price−$237,050
$40,000Annual price−$269,050
Outcomes at a glance
$52,095Typical earnings four years after completion
$52,821Average earnings five years after completion
$25,805Typical federal student debt
28thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
2Degrees awarded in 2024–25
89College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 5 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Social Sciences, General
How much do Social Sciences, General bachelor's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $52,095 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 $25,805. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Social Sciences, General?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $47,042 to $58,460 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Social Sciences, General?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 11 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
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $44,267
- Federal debt
- $9,314
- Programs in the comparison
- 38
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $52,095
- Federal debt
- $25,805
- Programs in the comparison
- 95
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $57,722
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 9
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$47,042National median$52,09575th percentile$58,460
89 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
Vanderbilt University
$103,229 four years after completionNashville, TN · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtCalifornia State University, Monterey Bay
$11,000 among completer borrowersSeaside, CA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classWashington State University
233 reported awards in 2024–25Pullman, WA · 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.
$78,996Observed year-4 earnings$57,200
Vanderbilt University$15,846 price · $103,229 earningsNew York University$37,050 price · $91,917 earningsHarvard University$19,066 price · $78,996 earningsManhattan University$27,256 price · $75,745 earningsUniversity of Washington-Seattle Campus$14,091 price · $75,301 earningsCampbell University$24,516 price · $71,052 earningsTowson University$17,413 price · $68,242 earningsWhittier College$25,757 price · $64,736 earningsUniversity of Massachusetts Global$32,654 price · $64,307 earningsCalifornia State University, San Marcos$10,229 price · $63,622 earningsEmpire State University$11,676 price · $61,925 earningsWashington State University$14,971 price · $61,617 earningsSouthern Oregon University$16,732 price · $61,526 earningsPennsylvania State University-Main Campus$32,875 price · $59,883 earningsPennsylvania State University-World Campus$19,550 price · $59,883 earningsThe University of Texas Rio Grande Valley$4,831 price · $59,440 earningsUniversity of Maryland Global Campus$22,063 price · $59,413 earningsSt. Joseph's University-New York$19,035 price · $59,028 earningsTouro University$29,627 price · $58,798 earningsMichigan State University$19,680 price · $58,797 earningsCentral Washington University$18,476 price · $58,680 earningsFlorida State University$11,297 price · $58,460 earningsHope International University$29,310 price · $58,263 earningsUniversity of Utah$16,200 price · $57,708 earningsTroy University$16,527 price · $57,620 earningsUniversity of Oregon$22,182 price · $57,532 earningsUpper Iowa University$20,942 price · $57,430 earningsCalifornia State University, Monterey Bay$13,663 price · $57,200 earningsDominican University New York$41,832 price · $56,966 earnings
$10,229Annual college-wide average net price$32,875
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.
1Vanderbilt University$103,2292New York University$91,9173Harvard University$78,9964Manhattan University$75,7455University of Washington-Seattle Campus$75,3016Campbell University$71,0527Towson University$68,2428Whittier College$64,7369University of Massachusetts Global$64,30710Thomas Edison State University$63,772Observed 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 →13%
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 rangeSocial Scientists and Related Workers, All Other$101,110 median wage37,100 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 2,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$66,120–$160,300 typical wage rangeSocial Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other$72,990 median wage16,580 jobs nationwide+1.6% projected growth through 2035 · 1,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$40,670–$164,420 typical wage rangeSociologists$106,030 median wage2,260 jobs nationwide+3.8% projected growth through 2035 · 200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$65,160–$172,550 typical wage rangeStatisticians$105,650 median wage29,030 jobs nationwide+11.0% projected growth through 2035 · 1,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$64,000–$174,050 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 rangeSocial Science Research Assistants$61,990 median wage30,640 jobs nationwide+5.0% projected growth through 2035 · 4,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$38,090–$102,070 typical wage rangeSociology Teachers, Postsecondary$84,290 median wage11,850 jobs nationwide+2.2% projected growth through 2035 · 1,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$49,930–$160,140 typical wage rangeSurvey Researchers$69,460 median wage8,290 jobs nationwide-4.8% projected growth through 2035 · 600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$39,260–$130,860 typical wage rangeMiddle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$64,370 median wage620,090 jobs nationwide-0.4% projected growth through 2035 · 38,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,080–$102,540 typical wage rangeElementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$63,970 median wage1,388,390 jobs nationwide-0.4% projected growth through 2035 · 87,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$47,960–$104,340 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.