Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences at East Tennessee State University

Earning close to $40,000 in your first year with a geology degree sounds reasonable until you look at Tennessee specifically. Peer geoscience programs in the state typically produce graduates earning around $32,000—about 20% less than the national figure used to estimate ETSU's outcomes. Middle Tennessee State and UT-Knoxville, which do report actual data, show first-year earnings of $34,329 and $30,101 respectively. If ETSU's program tracks closer to the Tennessee pattern than the national one, that $25,000 in estimated debt becomes more significant than it first appears.

The 0.62 debt-to-earnings ratio looks manageable on paper, but it assumes earnings materialize at the national median level. Geology careers can vary wildly depending on whether graduates land resource extraction jobs (which pay well but fluctuate with commodity prices), environmental consulting roles, or public sector positions. With no actual outcome data available for this specific program, there's meaningful uncertainty about which paths ETSU graduates typically pursue and what their regional job market looks like.

Given the gap between state and national benchmarks, parents should verify where recent graduates actually work and in what roles. The estimated figures suggest a viable path, but only if outcomes align more closely with national patterns than with Tennessee's lower earning trajectory. Understanding the program's industry connections and typical employer locations matters more here than usual.