---
title: Is an Information Science/Studies degree worth the debt?
cip: 1104
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 Information Science/Studies degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **136** colleges (136 of 136 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $53,732 ($59,892 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $25,000 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.47× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $44,073–$60,548 — 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 | $41,003 | $21,000 | 0.51× | 14 | 14/14 |
| Bachelor's | $53,732 | $25,000 | 0.47× | 136 | 136/136 |
| Master's | $72,151 | $43,847 | 0.71× | 71 | 71/71 |

## 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 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Northwestern University (IL) | $94,536 | $11,425 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (MI) | $71,304 | $17,592 |
| James Madison University (VA) | $70,020 | $19,500 |
| Boston College (MA) | $69,748 | $16,803 |
| Drexel University (PA) | $68,852 | $29,000 |
| Texas A&M University-College Station (TX) | $68,669 | — |
| University of Maryland-College Park (MD) | $67,391 | $19,500 |
| George Washington University (DC) | $67,132 | — |
| Clemson University (SC) | $66,717 | $25,225 |
| Strayer University-District of Columbia (DC) | $66,456 | $40,250 |
| Strayer University-Virginia (VA) | $66,456 | $40,250 |
| Strayer University-Maryland (MD) | $66,456 | $40,250 |
| Strayer University-Tennessee (TN) | $66,456 | $40,250 |
| Strayer University-Pennsylvania (PA) | $66,456 | $40,250 |
| Strayer University-Florida (FL) | $66,456 | $40,250 |

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/information-science-studies.jsonld` · `/education/fields/information-science-studies.json`