US College Programs

Geology and Earth Science (Bachelor's) Programs in North Carolina, Ranked by Graduate Pay and Debt

  • 5 programs report first-year pay
  • 5 also report federal debt
  • Bachelor's in Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median North Carolina geology and earth science bachelor's program pays its graduates $38,459 in their first year, $1,546 less than the national median. East Carolina University reports the highest first-year pay ($44,961), and East Carolina University the lowest median debt ($20,500).

Median first-year pay$38,459National $40,005
Median pay after 5 years$53,532National $57,967
Median federal debt$22,853National $25,000
Debt-to-earnings65%National 60%

All 5 programs, ranked

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina geology and earth science program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the North Carolina medians.

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only the 5 programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Quick picks

Highest first-year pay

  1. East Carolina University$44,961
  2. NC State$38,871
  3. UNC Wilmington$38,459
  4. UNC Charlotte$37,717
  5. Appalachian State$35,021

Lowest median debt

  1. East Carolina University$20,500
  2. NC State$22,234
  3. Appalachian State$22,853
  4. UNC Charlotte$24,897
  5. UNC Wilmington$26,000

Lowest debt for the pay

  1. East Carolina University46%
  2. NC State57%
  3. Appalachian State65%
  4. UNC Charlotte66%
  5. UNC Wilmington68%

"Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay. Only programs that report both figures are included.

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

$173,870

Median pay in North Carolina. 6,010 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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.

Bottom 10%: $101,810Top 10%: $305,970

Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers

$95,260

Median pay in North Carolina. 570 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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.

Bottom 10%: $63,060Top 10%: $143,240

Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians

$48,090

Median pay in North Carolina. 250 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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.

Bottom 10%: $37,680Top 10%: $59,010

Hydrologists

$81,770

Median pay in North Carolina. 150 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 400 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $64,320Top 10%: $111,050

Common questions

East Carolina University in Greenville reports the highest median first-year pay, $44,961. Its median federal debt is $20,500.

Related pages

Geology and Earth Science (Bachelor's) programs in the US, ranked95 programs by pay and debt

About this data

  • Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
  • 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 North Carolina rankings when their main campus is in another state.
  • Medians are across the geology and earth science bachelor's programs that report each figure, so the counts differ by figure. Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
  4. NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024