College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is an International/Globalization Studies degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 76 colleges (76 of 76 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$29,348

Graduates only, early career.$32,806 two years out.

Median federal debt

$20,379

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.68×

68% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is under a year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in International/Globalization Studies report early-career pay between $26,632 and $34,197 — a spread of $7,565 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $26,632 median $29,348 75th pct $34,197

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Bachelor's 76 colleges $29,348 $20,379 0.68×

Master's 14 colleges $46,658 $36,329 0.77×

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

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

American Public University System WV $56,758 $22,282 debt

Colby College ME $44,350 —

University of Virginia-Main Campus VA $43,976 $16,387 debt

University of California-Los Angeles CA $43,229 $12,000 debt

University of California-San Diego CA $41,542 $15,500 debt

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus CO $41,004 $18,870 debt

Brandeis University MA $40,384 $25,694 debt

Boston College MA $39,636 $19,000 debt

Drexel University PA $37,186 $29,046 debt

Texas Tech University TX $37,047 $21,500 debt

Washington University in St Louis MO $36,903 $18,500 debt

Providence College RI $36,425 $27,000 debt

Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ $36,234 $18,750 debt

Arizona State University Digital Immersion AZ $36,234 $18,750 debt

The University of Texas at Austin TX $35,418 $17,750 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in International/Globalization Studies, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard