Physics at North Carolina State University at Raleigh

NC State's physics program ranks at just the 10th percentile among North Carolina physics degrees—a surprising position for a flagship public research university. While the $43,740 starting salary sits close to the national average, it falls significantly short of the state's median of $62,647 for physics graduates. UNC Charlotte physics graduates, for instance, earn $70,150 in their first year, more than 60% higher than NC State's figure.

The debt load of $23,490 is reasonable and typical for the program, yielding a manageable 0.54 debt-to-earnings ratio. The puzzle here isn't about excessive debt—it's about why graduates from a respected STEM institution with a 1380 average SAT score are starting at such relatively low salaries compared to their in-state peers. This could reflect differences in where graduates take their first jobs, career paths chosen, or timing of employment data collection, but the gap is too large to ignore.

For North Carolina families considering physics programs, this data suggests looking carefully at peer institutions within the state. If your child is admitted to both NC State and UNC Charlotte or Chapel Hill for physics, the earnings differential appears substantial enough to warrant serious consideration, even accounting for any differences in total cost of attendance.