Science, Technology and Society at Arizona State University Campus Immersion

At first glance, $40,000 in starting earnings might look underwhelming for an ASU graduate—it sits in just the 25th percentile nationally for Science, Technology and Society programs. But context matters here: this is the only STS program in Arizona reporting data, and those lower-than-average earnings come with a significant upside. Your child would graduate with just $15,000 in debt, well below the $21,234 national median for this degree. That debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.38 means the debt burden is manageable, theoretically payable within a year of aggressive saving.

The real caveat is the small sample size—fewer than 30 graduates are reflected in these numbers, which means one exceptional earner or one struggling graduate can skew the picture dramatically. Science, Technology and Society is an interdisciplinary program that prepares students for diverse career paths in policy, research, and tech ethics, fields where starting salaries vary wildly depending on sector and role. If your child is considering this degree, focus less on these specific numbers and more on what they plan to do with it—and whether ASU's career services and network can help them land on the higher end of that range.

The takeaway: reasonable debt paired with uncertain earnings potential. This works best for students with clear career goals in mind, not those still figuring things out.