Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology at Rutgers University-New Brunswick

A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.59—meaning roughly seven months of first-year salary needed to cover the estimated $24,250 in borrowing—positions this atmospheric sciences program reasonably well compared to many bachelor's degrees. National benchmarks for this field suggest starting salaries around $41,430, which aligns with what similar meteorology programs produce. For a moderately selective public university, these figures paint a practical picture: not the lucrative outcomes of engineering or computer science, but manageable debt relative to early-career income.

The challenge is that these are estimates drawn from peer programs nationally, since Rutgers' graduate cohort in this major is too small for the Department of Education to publish actual outcomes. New Jersey has only one atmospheric sciences program (this one), so there's no state-level comparison point either. The field itself is specialized—just 80 programs nationally offer this degree—which can mean both tighter job markets and less competition for qualified candidates. Weather forecasting, climate research, and environmental consulting all value this credential, but geographic flexibility often matters for landing that first position.

For families, the key question is career commitment. If your student is genuinely passionate about meteorology and understands the career paths, comparable programs suggest a workable financial outcome. But if they're uncertain or choosing this as a "science option," the estimates offer less reassurance than actual school-specific data would provide.