Social Sciences, General: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 45.01. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 764 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 | 41 | 105 | $29,150 | $51,219 | Data unavailable |
| Associate's degree | 183 | 9,566 | $33,090 | $43,146 | $9,387 23 programs |
| Bachelor's degree | 360 | 5,643 | $43,758 | $53,366 | $24,082 62 programs |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 9 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Master's degree | 93 | 1,954 | $56,797 | $65,443 | Data unavailable |
| Doctoral degree | 29 | 50 | $84,270 | $81,523 | Data unavailable |
| Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar) | 1 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Graduate certificate | 48 | 178 | $63,763 | $96,031 | 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.
Associate's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| American River College CA · Public · 17 graduates measured | $52,700 | $47,731 | Data unavailable |
| Harrisburg Area Community College PA · Public · 31 graduates measured | $42,624 | $46,654 | $21,562 |
| Antelope Valley Community College District CA · Public · 30 graduates measured | $38,885 | $38,575 | $13,584 |
| Northern Virginia Community College VA · Public · 65 graduates measured | $37,212 | $48,344 | $12,445 |
| Brookdale Community College NJ · Public · 97 graduates measured | $35,608 | $44,277 | $8,750 |
| J Sargeant Reynolds Community College VA · Public · 32 graduates measured | $35,152 | $44,435 | $8,391 |
| Massasoit Community College MA · Public · 16 graduates measured | $34,470 | $43,185 | Data unavailable |
| Tidewater Community College VA · Public · 134 graduates measured | $34,403 | $41,334 | $11,000 |
| Butte College CA · Public · 124 graduates measured | $34,275 | $40,543 | $9,387 |
| Essex County College NJ · Public · 65 graduates measured | $33,051 | $44,106 | $6,500 |
| Virginia Western Community College VA · Public · 24 graduates measured | $32,057 | $38,545 | $8,304 |
| Mt San Jacinto Community College District CA · Public · 38 graduates measured | $30,018 | $36,114 | $10,225 |
| San Diego Miramar College CA · Public · 26 graduates measured | $29,586 | $46,564 | Data unavailable |
| Frederick Community College MD · Public · 31 graduates measured | $29,579 | $38,977 | $10,500 |
| Virginia Peninsula Community College VA · Public · 75 graduates measured | $28,189 | $42,697 | $9,500 |
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.
Bachelor's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University TN · Private, nonprofit · 113 graduates measured | $74,534 | $103,229 | $14,515 |
| CUNY Graduate School and University Center NY · Public · 19 graduates measured | $62,923 | Data unavailable | $13,440 |
| Manhattan University NY · Private, nonprofit · 16 graduates measured | $61,648 | $75,745 | Data unavailable |
| Empire State University NY · Public · 21 graduates measured | $61,143 | $61,925 | $27,091 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus PA · Public · 43 graduates measured | $57,562 | $59,883 | $33,775 |
| Pennsylvania State University-World Campus PA · Public · 43 graduates measured | $57,562 | $59,883 | $33,775 |
| University of Nevada-Las Vegas NV · Public · 18 graduates measured | $57,045 | $55,542 | $29,460 |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus WA · Public · 54 graduates measured | $56,673 | $75,301 | $24,667 |
| Thomas Edison State University NJ · Public · 63 graduates measured | $55,862 | $63,772 | $23,348 |
| Harvard University MA · Private, nonprofit · 94 graduates measured | $55,717 | $78,996 | $29,894 |
| New York University NY · Private, nonprofit · 74 graduates measured | $51,431 | $91,917 | $22,250 |
| Towson University MD · Public · 17 graduates measured | $50,294 | $68,242 | $20,250 |
| Troy University AL · Public · 27 graduates measured | $50,102 | $57,620 | $25,062 |
| Touro University NY · Private, nonprofit · 42 graduates measured | $49,944 | $58,798 | $24,042 |
| Washington State University WA · Public · 298 graduates measured | $49,327 | $61,617 | $22,500 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johns Hopkins University MD · Private, nonprofit · 30 graduates measured | $112,614 | $128,590 | Data unavailable |
| Georgetown University DC · Private, nonprofit · 23 graduates measured | $100,978 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Utica University NY · Private, nonprofit · 31 graduates measured | $90,471 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| CUNY Graduate School and University Center NY · Public · 19 graduates measured | $87,007 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Institut D'Etudes Politiques De Paris · Foreign · 26 graduates measured | $58,334 | $101,673 | Data unavailable |
| Ohio University-Main Campus OH · Public · 24 graduates measured | $57,328 | $52,250 | Data unavailable |
| Bellevue University NE · Private, nonprofit · 148 graduates measured | $53,952 | $56,332 | Data unavailable |
| University of Chicago IL · Private, nonprofit · 100 graduates measured | $49,651 | $74,690 | Data unavailable |
| University of London - University College London · Foreign · 51 graduates measured | $48,883 | $56,962 | Data unavailable |
| Troy University AL · Public · 17 graduates measured | $48,859 | $51,841 | Data unavailable |
| Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University FL · Public · 32 graduates measured | $47,534 | $57,722 | Data unavailable |
| Grambling State University LA · Public · 24 graduates measured | $41,084 | $55,999 | 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 Social Sciences, General
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managers, all other | $141,900 | +4.9% | Bachelor's degree |
| Statisticians | $105,650 | +11.0% | Master's degree |
| Survey researchers | $69,460 | -4.8% | Master's degree |
| Sociologists | $106,030 | +3.8% | Master's degree |
| Social scientists and related workers, all other | $101,110 | -0.2% | Bachelor's degree |
| Social science research assistants | $61,990 | +5.0% | Bachelor's degree |
| Sociology teachers, postsecondary | $84,290 | +2.2% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Social sciences teachers, postsecondary, all other | $72,990 | +1.6% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education | $63,970 | -0.4% | Bachelor's degree |
| Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education | $64,370 | -0.4% | Bachelor's degree |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education | $72,040 | -0.2% | Bachelor's degree |
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 (4)
- 45.0101 Social Sciences, General
- 45.0102 Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods
- 45.0103 Survey Research/Methodology
- 45.0199 Social Sciences, Other