Geological & Earth Sciences

Stem Major

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Total Degrees​
Awarded in 2017

9,762

growing 0.257%

Median In-State​
Public Tuition

$7,125

growing 1.5%

Median Out-of-State​
Private Tuition

$47,040

growing 5.25%

Average Wage

$109,220

growing 2.37%

People in Workforce

1.11M

growing 2.35%

Average Employee Age

45

declining 0.792%

About

Institutions

Employment

Diversity

Skills

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Geological & Earth Sciences degree recipients are Houston, TX, State College, PA, and College Station, TX. The locations with a relatively high number of Geological & Earth Sciences degree recipients are Socorro, NM, Naval Academy, MD, and Durango, CO. The most common degree awarded to students studying Geological & Earth Sciences is a bachelors degree.

Photo by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

Physical Sciences

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Geological & Earth Sciences and the types of students that study this field. Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus awards the most degrees in Geological & Earth Sciences in the US, but United States Coast Guard Academy and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Geological & Earth Sciences.

Tuition costs for Geological & Earth Sciences majors are, on average, $7,125 for in-state public colleges, and $47,040 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Geological & Earth Sciences programs are Public, 4-year or above institutions (322 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (7,998 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Geological & Earth Sciences

  1. Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

  2. Texas A & M University-College Station

  3. University of Houston

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Geological & Earth Sciences, is Public, 4-year or above (7,998 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Geological & Earth Sciences programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

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Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$7,125

Median In-State Public

$47,040

Median Out of State Private

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus has the most Geological & Earth Sciences degree recipients, with 204 degrees awarded in 2017.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Geological & Earth Sciences.

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Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

  1. United States Coast Guard Academy

    11.5%

  2. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

    6.37%

  3. Union College (196866)

    5.04%

Out of all institutions that offer Geological & Earth Sciences programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, United States Coast Guard Academy and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Geological & Earth Sciences, with 11.5% and 6.37%, respectively.

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Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Geological & Earth Sciences

  1. Los Angeles County, CA

  2. Harris County, TX

  3. Centre County, PA

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Geological & Earth Sciences by year.

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Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

  1. McDonough County, IL

  2. San Joaquin County, CA

  3. Hamilton County, TN

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Geological & Earth Sciences.

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Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Physical Sciences graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Physical Sciences majors is $109,220 and the most common occupations are Postsecondary teachers, Physicians, and Other managers.

The industry that employs the most Physical Sciences majors is Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Water transportation.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Geological & Earth Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

$109,220

Average Wage in Workforce

± $2,588

2.37%

1 Year Growth

± 3.26%

The average salary for Physical Sciences majors is $109,220 and the most common occupations are Postsecondary teachers, Physicians, and Other managers.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Physical Sciences majors.

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Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Geological & Earth Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

Highest Paying Pumas

  1. Belknap, Carroll & Merrimack (Northern) Counties PUMA, NH

  2. Ramsey, Oakland & Franklin Lakes Boroughs PUMA, NJ

  3. St. Johns County (North) PUMA, FL

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Physical Sciences majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Physical Sciences majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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Occupations

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Geological & Earth Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

The most common occupations Physical Sciences majors, by number of employees, are Postsecondary teachers, Physicians, and Other managers.

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Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Geological & Earth Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Physical Sciences majors working as Geoscientists and hydrologists, except geographers, Astronomers & physicists, and Atmospheric & space scientists.

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Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Geological & Earth Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Physical Sciences majors are Securities, commodities, & financial services sales agents, Surgeons, and Physicians.

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Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Geological & Earth Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

1.11M

2018 Workforce

± 25,760

2.35%

1 Year Growth

± 3.23%

The number of Physical Sciences graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.35%, from 1.08M in 2017 to 1.11M in 2018.

The largest single share of Physical Sciences graduates go on to work as Postsecondary teachers (8.19%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Physical Sciences by share of the total number of graduates.

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Industries

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Geological & Earth Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

The most common industries that employ Physical Sciences majors, by number of employees, are Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, and Elementary & secondary schools.

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Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Geological & Earth Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

The highest paying industries of Physical Sciences majors, by average wage, are Water transportation, Offices of physicians, and Agricultural chemical manufacturing.

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Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Geological & Earth Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

1.11M

2018 Workforce

± 25,760

2.35%

1 Year Growth

± 3.23%

The number of Physical Sciences graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.35%, from 1.08M in 2017 to 1.11M in 2018.

The industry which employs the most Physical Sciences graduates by share is Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Physical Sciences.

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Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Geological & Earth Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Physical Sciences majors

  1. West Hollywood & Beverly Hills Cities PUMA, CA

  2. Carr 2-Carr 111 PUMA, PR

  3. Carr 2-Carr 100 PUMA, PR

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Physical Sciences majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Physical Sciences majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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Diversity

Demographic information on those who earn a degree in Physical Sciences in the US. The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Physical Sciences is 45, and the most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Male employees are more likely to hold Physical Sciences degrees, and White students earn the majority (6,903) of the degrees.

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Geological & Earth Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

45

Average Age in 2018

± 0.326 Years

0.792%

1 Year Change

± 1.04%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Physical Sciences. The most common ages of employees with this major are 35 and 27 years old, which represent 2.59% and 2.57% of the population, respectively.

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Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Geological & Earth Sciences are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Research Doctorate.

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Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Geological & Earth Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Physical Sciences are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Doctorate degree.

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Gender Imbalance for Common Institutions

Male (59.8%)

Most Common Gender with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by gender at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Geological & Earth Sciences.

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Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

  1. White

    6,903 degrees awarded

  2. Hispanic or Latino

    840 degrees awarded

  3. Non-resident Alien

    807 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Geological & Earth Sciences for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

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Race & Ethnicity by Gender

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Gender Combination

  1. White Male

    3,133 degrees awarded

  2. White Female

    1,913 degrees awarded

  3. Hispanic or Latino Male

    372 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Geological & Earth Sciences. White Male students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

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Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Geological & Earth Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

Most Common Countries of Origin

  1. India

    54,125 degree recipients

  2. China

    51,324 degree recipients

  3. Korea

    11,608 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

  1. Sri Lanka

    5.36 times more than expected

  2. USSR

    4.49 times more than expected

  3. China

    3.73 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Sri Lanka that hold Physical Sciences degrees (5.36 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is India (54,125 degree recipients).

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Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Geological & Earth Sciences field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Geological & Earth Sciences majors need many skills, but most especially Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Geological & Earth Sciences majors need more than the average amount of Science, Mathematics, and Management of Material Resources.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Geological & Earth Sciences majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Science is very distinctive for majors, but the Speaking, Reading Comprehension, and Writing are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Radar Distribution

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Bar Chart

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