---
title: Is an Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology degree worth the debt?
cip: 4004
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is an Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **13** colleges (13 of 13 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $35,818 ($35,416 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $24,750 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.63× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $32,913–$40,282 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bachelor's | $35,818 | $24,750 | 0.63× | 13 | 13/13 |

## Where an Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SUNY Maritime College (NY) | $44,810 | — |
| Texas A&M University-College Station (TX) | $43,394 | $19,529 |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott (AZ) | $40,282 | $25,500 |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach (FL) | $40,282 | $25,500 |
| Ohio State University-Main Campus (OH) | $38,431 | — |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus (PA) | $38,061 | $26,000 |
| Valparaiso University (IN) | $35,818 | $27,000 |
| Iowa State University (IA) | $33,650 | — |
| University of Missouri-Columbia (MO) | $33,394 | $18,625 |
| University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus (OK) | $32,913 | $20,000 |
| Florida State University (FL) | $31,392 | $24,750 |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VA) | $29,714 | $23,250 |
| Northern Illinois University (IL) | $25,950 | — |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/atmospheric-sciences-and-meteorology.jsonld` · `/education/fields/atmospheric-sciences-and-meteorology.json`