Military Science and Operational Studies: earnings, debt, and careers

CIP 28.05. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 2 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.

Graduate earnings by credential level

National earnings of Military Science and Operational Studies graduates who were working and not enrolled one year after completing, by credential. Bachelor's degree: median $71,429. The bar spans the 25th to 75th percentile, the thin line spans the 10th to 90th percentile, and the red mark is the median.

Credential	Programs	Graduates (recent year)	Median earnings, 1 yr	Median earnings, 4 yrs	Typical program median debt
Bachelor's degree	1	0	$71,429	$101,117	$15,125 1 programs
Master's degree	1	0	Data unavailable	Data unavailable	Data unavailable

National earnings are published by the Department of Education for each field and credential level Verified data. Typical program median debt is ConnectPrep's calculation: the median across programs of each program's median federal debt Calculated estimate. It covers federal loans only.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data. Varies by measure; see measure definitions. Published October 15, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.

Bachelor's degree programs with the highest early earnings

School	Median earnings, 1 yr	Median earnings, 4 yrs	Median debt
American Public University System WV · Private, for-profit · 33 graduates measured	$67,490	$103,706	$15,125

Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.

Careers linked to Military Science and Operational Studies

Data unavailable No occupations are mapped to this field in the official crosswalk.

Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk. CIP 2020 and SOC 2018 taxonomies. Published April 30, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National. May 2025 reference period. Published April 30, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Base year 2025, projected year 2035. Published August 27, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.

Detailed CIP codes in this field (7)

28.0501 Air Science/Airpower Studies
28.0502 Air and Space Operational Art and Science
28.0503 Military Operational Art and Science/Studies
28.0504 Advanced Military and Operational Studies
28.0505 Naval Science and Operational Studies
28.0506 Special, Irregular and Counterterrorist Operations
28.0599 Military Science and Operational Studies, Other