Free tool · federal data

What does this major pay at different colleges?

Pick a major, a degree level and a state. You get what graduates of each college's program earned four years after graduating and what they borrowed in federal loans, from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, with the national median for the same program as the yardstick.

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Is it worth it? The federal figures, side by side

Federal data cannot decide that for you, but it puts what graduates earned beside what they borrowed. Programs appear in the order you added them, with no ranking.

Median earnings four years after graduating, federal debt, monthly payment and peer comparisons for Southern New Hampshire University Geology, University of Wyoming Geology.
MeasureSouthern New Hampshire UniversityGeology, bachelor's · NHRemoveUniversity of WyomingGeology, bachelor's · WYRemove
Median earnings, 4 years after graduating$62,360 (61 graduates)$68,883 (49 graduates)
Federal debt borrowed at this college (median)$20,875$18,960
Monthly payment, 10-year plan$221$201
Payment as a share of median monthly earningsbefore taxroughly 4%roughly 4%
National median, same program and degree$60,190$60,190
Typical program nearbythe state, or its Census division when the state has fewer than 3 programs—$60,453 (Mountain, 5 programs)
Total federal debt counting every college attendeda second federal measure; it includes loans from colleges attended before this one$31,349$23,700

Earnings: College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, for graduates who received federal aid, worked and were not enrolled. Debt: graduates of 2018-19 and 2019-20. The monthly payment is a standard 10-year plan on the median debt borrowed at that college. Median earnings of graduates who received federal student aid, worked, and were not enrolled in school; debt is the median federal loans borrowed at this college by graduates who borrowed (Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS; not Parent PLUS, private loans or interest). Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education.College cost is not shown here; each college's profile has its net price.

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Geology, bachelor's programs nationwide

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Geology earn a median $60,190 four years after graduating. Among 53 programs with federal earnings data, The University of Texas at Austin (TX) graduates had the highest median, $83,481 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).

Programs with data
53
Highest median
$83,481
National median
$60,190
The link opens this exact comparison.
Geology, bachelor's programs nationwide: median earnings four years after graduating and median federal debt, in order of earnings.
CollegeStateMedian earnings, 4 yrs aftervs national medianDebt borrowed at this college (median)Add to the side-by-side comparison
The University of Texas at AustinTX$83,481+39%$16,993Compare
Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusFigure covers 22 campusesPA$81,092+35%$25,648Compare
Texas A & M University-College StationTX$74,594+24%$18,686Compare
Texas Tech UniversityTX$74,591+24%$25,250Compare
San Diego State UniversityCA$73,647+22%$21,500Compare
California State University-SacramentoCA$73,418+22%$15,000Compare
University of California-DavisCA$73,337+22%$16,000Compare
Colorado State University-Fort CollinsCO$71,631+19%$22,250Compare
University of California-IrvineCA$70,820+18%$14,916Compare
California State University-BakersfieldCA$69,989+16%—Compare
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCA$69,227+15%$15,000Compare
University of WyomingWY$68,883+14%$18,960In comparison
University of HoustonTX$68,127+13%$24,875Compare
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeLA$67,493+12%$19,500Compare
Western Washington UniversityWA$67,208+12%$22,969Compare
Ohio University-Main CampusFigure covers 6 campusesOH$66,922+11%$18,500Compare
University of Washington-Seattle CampusFigure covers 3 campusesWA$66,845+11%$19,000Compare
West Virginia UniversityFigure covers 3 campusesWV$66,798+11%$22,719Compare
University of California-Santa BarbaraCA$66,788+11%$16,298Compare
The University of Texas at ArlingtonTX$65,294+8%$25,000Compare
University of California-Santa CruzCA$64,499+7%$20,833Compare
College of CharlestonSC$63,993+6%$22,659Compare
University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeFigure covers 2 campusesWI$63,838+6%$26,500Compare
Michigan State UniversityMI$62,448+4%$28,869Compare
Southern New Hampshire UniversityNH$62,360+4%$20,875In comparison

The 25 highest of 53 programs. Ordered by median earnings four years after graduating: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality.

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Same major, other degree levels: Master's

What these numbers are

Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. Only programs with at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort are listed, and a multi-state system whose figure pools campuses in several states is left out of state lists. Median earnings of graduates who received federal student aid, worked, and were not enrolled in school; debt is the median federal loans borrowed at this college by graduates who borrowed (Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS; not Parent PLUS, private loans or interest). Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education. Federal program group: Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences. Earnings reflect who enrolls and where graduates work as well as the program itself.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field-of-study data, 10 June 2026. Download every program (CSV).