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

Is a Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 55 colleges (55 of 55 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$27,085

Graduates only, early career.$27,181 two years out.

Median federal debt

$22,000

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.86×

86% 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 Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences report early-career pay between $24,923 and $30,007 — a spread of $5,084 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $24,923 median $27,085 75th pct $30,007

By degree level

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

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Bachelor's 55 colleges $27,085 $22,000 0.86×

Master's 17 colleges $36,214 $48,483 1.28×

Where a 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.

George Washington University DC $36,630 $19,500 debt

San Francisco State University CA $35,916 $16,750 debt

University of California-Davis CA $34,098 $14,154 debt

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh WI $33,354 $21,938 debt

University of Massachusetts-Amherst MA $32,667 $25,000 debt

Marquette University WI $32,585 $27,000 debt

Ursinus College PA $32,195 $27,000 debt

Boston University MA $31,920 $27,000 debt

Merrimack College MA $31,295 —

Central Washington University WA $31,254 $20,000 debt

Baldwin Wallace University OH $30,752 $26,722 debt

Gordon College MA $30,735 $27,000 debt

University of Colorado Boulder CO $30,428 $19,483 debt

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN $30,300 $20,400 debt

University of Wisconsin-Superior WI $29,714 —

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences, 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