---
title: Is a Physical Sciences, General degree worth the debt?
cip: 4001
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 Physical Sciences, General degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **3** colleges (3 of 3 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $44,209 ($63,005 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $15,764 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.41× a first year's pay


**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 | $19,802 | $7,438 | 0.27× | 13 | 13/13 |
| Bachelor's | $44,209 | $15,764 | 0.41× | 3 | 3/3 |

## 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 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rochester Institute of Technology (NY) | $74,681 | — |
| CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice (NY) | $44,209 | $9,843 |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion (AZ) | $35,793 | $21,685 |

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/physical-sciences-general.jsonld` · `/education/fields/physical-sciences-general.json`