---
title: Is a Science, Technology and Society degree worth the debt?
cip: 3015
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 Science, Technology and Society degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **9** colleges (9 of 9 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $38,747 ($50,123 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $21,815 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.52× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $34,561–$54,309 — 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 | $38,747 | $21,815 | 0.52× | 9 | 9/9 |

## 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 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Georgetown University (DC) | $61,178 | $13,625 |
| Texas Tech University (TX) | $54,539 | $27,067 |
| Eastern Michigan University (MI) | $54,309 | — |
| James Madison University (VA) | $42,067 | $22,784 |
| Vassar College (NY) | $38,747 | $19,000 |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh (NC) | $37,598 | $20,846 |
| Farmingdale State College (NY) | $34,561 | $15,000 |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus (GA) | $33,322 | $24,250 |
| Beloit College (WI) | $21,130 | $25,000 |

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/science-technology-and-society.jsonld` · `/education/fields/science-technology-and-society.json`