Wharton County Junior College Physical Science Technology (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Associate's in Physical Science Technologies/Technicians
- Public college
- Wharton, TX
- About 36 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Wharton County Junior College physical science technology graduates earn less than graduates of most physical science technology programs nationally, $45,277 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $16,625 in federal loans, close to the national median of $11,417. Several Texas programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Texas and national columns are the medians across all physical science technology associate's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Wharton County Junior College graduates earn more than the national figure and about $11,907 more than the Texas median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Texas physical science technology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Texas medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
What graduates earn over time
Pay rises about 171% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $176 a month, or 4.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
100% of graduates (36 of 36) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Texas outside metro areas are about 12% below the national average, so a $45,277 salary here buys what about $51,548 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 physical science technology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders
$60,150Median pay in Texas. 20,880 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 13,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
Chemical Technicians
$62,580Median pay in Texas. 6,090 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,600 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.
Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health
$50,710Median pay in Texas. 3,350 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 5,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.
Chemical Plant and System Operators
$102,750Median pay in Texas. 2,360 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
About Wharton County Junior College
Physical Science Technology ranks 2nd of 4 associate's programs at Wharton County Junior College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($78,791), Physical Science Technology ($45,277), and Business ($29,619).
Other physical science technology associate's programs near Wharton
Common questions
The median graduate earns $45,277 one year after graduating and $122,746 five years after. The median across physical science technology associate's programs in Texas is $54,260.
The median federal loan balance is $16,625, which ranks 9th lowest of 11 physical science technology associate's programs in Texas. That works out to about $176 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 37% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 24%. Compare the cost with other Texas programs before deciding.
Most do. 100% (36 of 36) were working in Texas 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 Texas 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 physical science technology 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