Other degree levels for this field: Master's degrees
This page shows what graduates with a bachelor's degree in Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences earn four years after graduating, what they typically owe, the schools that report these figures (listed alphabetically), and the occupations linked to this field by the federal CIP-to-SOC crosswalk. It covers 122 reporting units (schools, or groups of campuses that report together) with these figures.
In context: across the 132 bachelor's-degree fields with earnings reported by at least 30 schools or school groups, the typical field's median is $58,911; this field's median of $60,190 is about the same as that. The middle half of its graduates differ by $33,230 (25th to 75th percentile), close to the typical field's $36,476, so where a graduate lands within the field varies a lot. Typical federal debt of $25,000 is about 42% of one year of that median (debt and earnings cover different graduating years). These are group figures, not predictions for any graduate.
Schools reporting earnings for Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences graduates
Listed alphabetically to start; MajorPays does not rank schools. Click a column heading to sort; shift-click more headings to sort by several columns as a group. Median earnings four years after graduation, bachelor's degree, for programs with at least 30 graduates measured (53 reporting units; campuses that share one federal school ID report together and appear once). Schools with fewer graduates in the major, or whose figure the Department of Education withholds, are not listed.
See every school that awarded bachelor's degrees in Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences in 2023-24, including schools that do not report earnings, with the number of degrees awarded (IPEDS Completions).
Occupations O*NET associates with this field
Occupations that U.S. Department of Labor O*NET data links to Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences programs, with each occupation's national median pay, projected job growth and yearly openings. They are listed in the order O*NET links them to this field; click a column heading to sort. This is a classification crosswalk, not evidence that graduates enter these jobs, and many of these occupations require more education, a license or experience beyond this credential. The figures describe the occupation, not the graduates of this major.
| Career | Median pay, 2025 | Projected growth, 2025–2035 | Openings per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Sciences Managers | $167,220 | +8.2% | 9,200 |
| Clinical Research Coordinators | $167,220 | +8.2% | 9,200 |
| Water Resource Specialists | $167,220 | +8.2% | 9,200 |
| Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | $103,170 | +2.4% | 800 |
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | $101,920 | +5.1% | 1,800 |
| Hydrologists | $96,600 | +1.5% | 400 |
| Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians | $53,350 | +3.6% | 1,000 |
| Hydrologic Technicians | $64,790 | -1.3% | 400 |
| Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary | $93,250 | +2.3% | 1,700 |
Frequently asked questions
Does a Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences degree pay off?
Graduates with a bachelor's degree in Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences earn a median of $60,190 four years after graduating, and typically owe about $25,000 in federal loans. Earnings four years out are early-career pay, and they vary widely by school, job and place. Compare the pay with the cost of your own school on its graduate earnings page.
How much do college graduates earn overall?
See earnings by education level and by state.
Do Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences graduates work in their field?
The National Survey of College Graduates (2023) asked employed graduates whose highest degree is a bachelor's in earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences how closely their job relates to their degree. About 45% said closely related, 21% somewhat related and 34% not related (roughly 196 thousand graduates). This is a broad group of fields, not only Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences, and a job outside the field is not a bad outcome by itself.
Source: U.S. National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Survey of College Graduates, 2023 (Table 1-3, bachelor's level, all occupations). Survey estimates, rounded by NSF. MajorPays selected and reorganized these figures; NSF has not approved or endorsed them.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data (June 2026 release), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution; careers from O*NET 31.0 by the U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Career pay, growth and openings: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) and Employment Projections (2025-2035). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; neither agency has approved or endorsed them. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. MajorPays has modified all or some of the O*NET information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Earnings are for graduates who received federal financial aid and were working and not enrolled four years after finishing (graduates of academic years 2014-15 and 2015-16, in 2021 dollars; the debt figures are for graduates of 2018-19 and 2019-20); the data says nothing about how much a school added to its graduates' earnings.