Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences at Missouri State University-Springfield

Missouri State's geosciences program shows graduates earning $34,481 initially—about $6,000 below the state median and landing in just the 25th percentile among Missouri's seven programs. That's a meaningful gap, especially when Missouri S&T graduates start $13,000 higher. However, the $28,000 debt load ranks impressively low nationally (5th percentile), keeping the debt-to-earnings ratio reasonable at 0.81. The strong 47% earnings jump to $50,576 by year four suggests graduates find better-paying positions once they gain experience, though that still trails Missouri S&T's starting point.

The real caveat here is sample size—fewer than 30 graduates means a single student's career path could skew these numbers significantly. This makes it hard to assess whether that initial earnings disadvantage reflects typical outcomes or just statistical noise. What we can say: the program keeps debt manageable while providing an accessible entry point (91% admission rate) into geosciences.

For families prioritizing low debt over maximum starting salary, this could work—particularly if your student plans to pursue graduate education where the undergraduate institution matters less. But if they're entering the workforce directly after graduation, understand they'll likely start behind peers from Missouri's top programs and spend several years catching up.