Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 51.05. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 147 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 | 4 | 5 | $81,676 | $236,784 | Data unavailable |
| Associate's degree | 1 | 3 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Bachelor's degree | 1 | 31 | $73,587 | Data unavailable | $15,996 1 programs |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 4 | 0 | $206,984 | $231,133 | Data unavailable |
| Master's degree | 67 | 803 | $230,815 | $235,700 | Data unavailable |
| Doctoral degree | 20 | 43 | Data unavailable | $125,137 | Data unavailable |
| Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar) | 5 | 0 | $238,856 | $242,548 | Data unavailable |
| Graduate certificate | 45 | 1,096 | $212,654 | $207,164 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Petersburg College FL · Public · 32 graduates measured | $70,345 | Data unavailable | $15,996 |
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.
Post-baccalaureate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus PA · Public · 36 graduates measured | $150,317 | $228,486 | 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.
Master's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville University FL · Private, nonprofit · 23 graduates measured | $283,176 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Virginia Commonwealth University VA · Public · 27 graduates measured | $263,057 | $336,392 | Data unavailable |
| University of Louisville KY · Public · 21 graduates measured | $255,943 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Marquette University WI · Private, nonprofit · 18 graduates measured | $255,076 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Harvard University MA · Private, nonprofit · 21 graduates measured | $254,969 | $198,921 | Data unavailable |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus WA · Public · 29 graduates measured | $247,812 | $230,603 | Data unavailable |
| Indiana University-Indianapolis IN · Public · 33 graduates measured | $245,783 | $252,749 | Data unavailable |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor MI · Public · 38 graduates measured | $236,858 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Columbia University in the City of New York NY · Private, nonprofit · 18 graduates measured | $236,233 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| The University of Tennessee Health Science Center TN · Public · 22 graduates measured | $221,833 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of Illinois Chicago IL · Public · 40 graduates measured | $216,802 | $281,546 | Data unavailable |
| University of Florida FL · Public · 26 graduates measured | $213,944 | $207,455 | Data unavailable |
| University of Detroit Mercy MI · Private, nonprofit · 22 graduates measured | $207,569 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill NC · Public · 33 graduates measured | $207,416 | $216,728 | Data unavailable |
| The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston TX · Public · 29 graduates measured | $202,394 | 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.
Graduate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York University NY · Private, nonprofit · 32 graduates measured | $350,839 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick NJ · Public · 30 graduates measured | $315,599 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of Illinois Chicago IL · Public · 37 graduates measured | $270,930 | $286,071 | Data unavailable |
| Tufts University MA · Private, nonprofit · 38 graduates measured | $241,737 | $296,331 | Data unavailable |
| Harvard University MA · Private, nonprofit · 34 graduates measured | $206,560 | $198,324 | Data unavailable |
| Columbia University in the City of New York NY · Private, nonprofit · 33 graduates measured | $206,235 | $220,151 | Data unavailable |
| The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston TX · Public · 32 graduates measured | $202,128 | $221,809 | Data unavailable |
| Texas A&M University-College Station TX · Public · 43 graduates measured | $194,941 | $234,334 | Data unavailable |
| University of Southern California CA · Private, nonprofit · 52 graduates measured | $194,146 | $139,611 | Data unavailable |
| University of Detroit Mercy MI · Private, nonprofit · 20 graduates measured | $186,061 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Saint Louis University MO · Private, nonprofit · 27 graduates measured | $166,750 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Loma Linda University CA · Private, nonprofit · 32 graduates measured | $161,868 | $179,193 | Data unavailable |
| Roseman University of Health Sciences NV · Private, nonprofit · 17 graduates measured | $152,766 | $268,580 | 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 Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health education specialists | $64,070 | +5.6% | Bachelor's degree |
| Health specialties teachers, postsecondary | $107,310 | +17.9% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Dentists, general | $170,950 | +5.7% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Oral and maxillofacial surgeons | $352,220 | +5.6% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Orthodontists | $289,140 | +6.0% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Prosthodontists | $311,180 | +5.8% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Dentists, all other specialists | $224,990 | +1.3% | 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.
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 (15)
- 51.0501 Dental Clinical Sciences, General
- 51.0502 Advanced General Dentistry
- 51.0503 Oral Biology and Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
- 51.0504 Dental Public Health and Education
- 51.0505 Dental Materials
- 51.0506 Endodontics/Endodontology
- 51.0507 Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery
- 51.0508 Orthodontics/Orthodontology
- 51.0509 Pediatric Dentistry/Pedodontics
- 51.0510 Periodontics/Periodontology
- 51.0511 Prosthodontics/Prosthodontology
- 51.0512 Digital Dentistry
- 51.0513 Geriatric Dentistry
- 51.0514 Implantology/Implant Dentistry
- 51.0599 Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences, Other