---
title: Is a Biological and Physical Sciences degree worth the debt?
cip: 3001
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 a Biological and Physical Sciences degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **36** colleges (36 of 36 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $31,472 ($32,622 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $23,924 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.78× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $28,020–$33,321 — 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Associate's | $24,782 | $7,050 | 0.28× | 46 | 46/46 |
| Bachelor's | $31,472 | $23,924 | 0.78× | 36 | 36/36 |
| Master's | $72,133 | $41,000 | 0.55× | 6 | 6/6 |

## Where a 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 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Empire State University (NY) | $52,259 | — |
| Thomas Edison State University (NJ) | $49,000 | $10,950 |
| University of South Florida (FL) | $48,251 | — |
| The University of Texas at San Antonio (TX) | $45,207 | — |
| University of Notre Dame (IN) | $40,806 | $19,000 |
| Grand Valley State University (MI) | $38,369 | $27,000 |
| University of Houston-Downtown (TX) | $36,725 | $21,765 |
| Washington State University (WA) | $34,602 | $18,853 |
| University of Alaska Anchorage (AK) | $34,176 | $17,258 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College (PA) | $33,036 | $25,887 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Scranton (PA) | $33,036 | $25,887 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks (PA) | $33,036 | $25,887 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg (PA) | $33,036 | $25,887 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus (PA) | $33,036 | $25,887 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington (PA) | $33,036 | $25,887 |

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/biological-and-physical-sciences.jsonld` · `/education/fields/biological-and-physical-sciences.json`