Systems Science and Theory: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 30.06. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 95 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.
Graduate earnings by credential level
| Credential | Programs | Graduates (recent year) | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Typical program median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate certificate | 1 | 17 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Associate's degree | 1 | 10 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Bachelor's degree | 25 | 507 | $67,084 | $88,036 | $21,500 4 programs |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 3 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | $19,500 1 programs |
| Master's degree | 40 | 423 | $88,824 | $111,527 | Data unavailable |
| Doctoral degree | 16 | 46 | $121,294 | $120,833 | Data unavailable |
| Graduate certificate | 9 | 58 | 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.
Bachelor's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carnegie Mellon University PA · Private, nonprofit · 83 graduates measured | $106,632 | $146,929 | $19,000 |
| James Madison University VA · Public · 52 graduates measured | $72,455 | $91,034 | $24,000 |
| Rhode Island School of Design RI · Private, nonprofit · 49 graduates measured | $59,681 | Data unavailable | $25,000 |
| La Salle University PA · Private, nonprofit · 33 graduates measured | $44,123 | $64,444 | Data unavailable |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign IL · Public · 56 graduates measured | $38,458 | $57,510 | $16,000 |
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.
Master's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| The New School NY · Private, nonprofit · 82 graduates measured | $113,846 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham AL · Public · 55 graduates measured | $101,102 | $124,712 | Data unavailable |
| Binghamton University NY · Public · 23 graduates measured | $83,019 | $104,395 | Data unavailable |
| University at Buffalo NY · Public · 18 graduates measured | $66,381 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh NC · Public · 34 graduates measured | $65,945 | $90,725 | Data unavailable |
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 Systems Science and Theory
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managers, all other | $141,900 | +4.9% | Bachelor's degree |
| Postsecondary teachers, all other | $77,640 | +2.0% | Doctoral or professional degree |
Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.
Detailed CIP codes in this field (1)
- 30.0601 Systems Science and Theory