---
title: Is an International/Globalization Studies degree worth the debt?
cip: 3020
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 International/Globalization Studies degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **76** colleges (76 of 76 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $29,348 ($32,806 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $20,379 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.68× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $26,632–$34,197 — 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 | $29,348 | $20,379 | 0.68× | 76 | 76/76 |
| Master's | $46,658 | $36,329 | 0.77× | 14 | 14/14 |

## 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 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| American Public University System (WV) | $56,758 | $22,282 |
| Colby College (ME) | $44,350 | — |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus (VA) | $43,976 | $16,387 |
| University of California-Los Angeles (CA) | $43,229 | $12,000 |
| University of California-San Diego (CA) | $41,542 | $15,500 |
| University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus (CO) | $41,004 | $18,870 |
| Brandeis University (MA) | $40,384 | $25,694 |
| Boston College (MA) | $39,636 | $19,000 |
| Drexel University (PA) | $37,186 | $29,046 |
| Texas Tech University (TX) | $37,047 | $21,500 |
| Washington University in St Louis (MO) | $36,903 | $18,500 |
| Providence College (RI) | $36,425 | $27,000 |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion (AZ) | $36,234 | $18,750 |
| Arizona State University Digital Immersion (AZ) | $36,234 | $18,750 |
| The University of Texas at Austin (TX) | $35,418 | $17,750 |

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/international-globalization-studies.jsonld` · `/education/fields/international-globalization-studies.json`