Materials Sciences: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 40.10. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 127 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 | 3 | 8 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Bachelor's degree | 18 | 162 | $75,777 | $94,684 | $21,670 1 programs |
| Master's degree | 45 | 261 | $89,498 | $116,810 | Data unavailable |
| Doctoral degree | 47 | 202 | $110,814 | $144,084 | Data unavailable |
| Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar) | 1 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Graduate certificate | 13 | 17 | 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 · 24 graduates measured | $82,424 | $119,715 | Data unavailable |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus PA · Public · 57 graduates measured | $75,929 | $92,864 | $21,670 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester Institute of Technology NY · Private, nonprofit · 28 graduates measured | $86,179 | Data unavailable | 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 Materials Sciences
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural and engineering managers | $171,270 | +5.5% | Bachelor's degree |
| Natural sciences managers | $167,220 | +8.2% | Bachelor's degree |
| Chemists | $91,240 | +6.4% | Bachelor's degree |
| Materials scientists | $117,790 | +8.3% | Bachelor's degree |
| Life, physical, and social science technicians, all other | $62,280 | +4.4% | Associate's degree |
| Engineering teachers, postsecondary | $109,270 | +7.8% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Chemistry teachers, postsecondary | $93,250 | +2.3% | Doctoral or professional 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 (3)
- 40.1001 Materials Science
- 40.1002 Materials Chemistry
- 40.1099 Materials Sciences, Other