Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences at Montclair State University

Montclair State's geosciences program graduates earn $43,985 one year out—beating the national median by over $4,000 and landing in the 76th percentile nationally. That sounds promising until you consider the New Jersey context: graduates here trail the state median by about $3,000, placing them in just the 40th percentile among Garden State programs. For a state where in-state tuition makes a big difference, nearby alternatives like Rutgers-Newark and Kean deliver measurably stronger first-year outcomes.

The debt picture is reasonable at $25,000, creating a manageable 0.57 ratio to first-year earnings. That's roughly on par with both state and national norms for this field. The real question is whether these earnings trajectories improve over time—geosciences careers often require graduate work or specialized experience to reach higher salary tiers, so that first-year number may not tell the whole story.

Here's the caveat parents need to know: this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, making it statistically shaky. One or two outliers could swing these numbers significantly. If your student is committed to geosciences and Montclair is the right fit for other reasons, the debt load won't be crushing. But purely on earnings potential within New Jersey, this program sits in the middle of the pack when stronger options exist nearby.