San Diego State Geology and Earth Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences
- Public university
- San Diego, CA
- About 8 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release ยท BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
San Diego State geology and earth science graduates earn about what geology and earth science graduates earn nationally, $41,351 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several California programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all geology and earth science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every California geology and earth science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $228 a month, or 6.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
93% of graduates (28 of 30) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the San Diego area are about 12% above the national average, so a $41,351 salary here buys what about $36,958 buys in a typical US city.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to geology and earth science, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Natural Sciences Managers
$210,230Median pay in California. 14,950 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers
$106,500Median pay in California. 3,350 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians
$69,410Median pay in California. 480 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.
Hydrologists
$122,110Median pay in California. 540 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 400 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
About San Diego State
Geology and Earth Science ranks 21st of 59 bachelor's programs at San Diego State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($100,221), Construction Engineering Technology ($81,608), and Computer Engineering ($76,812).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $41,351 one year after graduating. The median across geology and earth science bachelor's programs in California is $40,078.
The median federal loan balance is $21,500, which ranks 8th lowest of 9 geology and earth science bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $228 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 52% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 60%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay.
Most do. 93% (28 of 30) were working in California one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of California comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the geology and earth science program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024