MASTER'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a master's degree in Social Sciences, General worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 9 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$57,722 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.
$57,722Median year-4 earnings
$18,337Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$57,722Typical earnings four years after completion
$52,981Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
9thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
9College 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.
Four useful answers about Social Sciences, General
How much do Social Sciences, General master's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $57,722 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 Social Sciences, General?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $55,999 to $67,767 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$55,999National median$57,72275th percentile$67,767
9 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.
$74,690Observed year-4 earnings$51,841
Johns Hopkins University$18,809 price · $128,590 earningsUniversity of Chicago$14,860 price · $74,690 earningsMercer University$23,847 price · $67,767 earningsPennsylvania Western University$18,256 price · $65,444 earningsFlorida Agricultural and Mechanical University$13,739 price · $57,722 earningsBellevue University$17,550 price · $56,332 earningsGrambling State University$19,809 price · $55,999 earningsOhio University-Main Campus$21,637 price · $52,250 earningsTroy University$16,527 price · $51,841 earnings
$13,739Annual college-wide average net price$21,637
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
9 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 9 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Johns Hopkins University$128,5902University of Chicago$74,6903Mercer University$67,7674Pennsylvania Western University$65,4445Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University$57,7226Bellevue University$56,3327Grambling State University$55,9998Ohio University-Main Campus$52,2509Troy University$51,841Observed 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.
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.