Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences at The University of Texas at San Antonio

UTSA's geoscience program sits in an interesting middle ground—its graduates earn above the national median but trail the Texas state median by about $1,500 in first-year earnings. That positioning matters because Texas is a major energy hub with strong geoscience job markets. Being at the 40th percentile among in-state programs suggests students might find better earning potential at schools like Texas Tech or University of Houston-Downtown. The flip side? UTSA delivers these outcomes with remarkably low debt—just $19,000 compared to the state median of $23,000—giving graduates a manageable 0.44 debt-to-earnings ratio and real financial flexibility early in their careers.

The earnings trajectory shows steady growth, climbing 17% to over $50,000 by year four, which indicates the field rewards experience. However, the small sample size here (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift significantly year to year. For students drawn to UTSA's accessible admission standards and mission serving a heavily Pell-eligible population, this represents a reasonable pathway into geoscience careers without crushing debt. But if maximizing earnings is the priority and admission to higher-ranked Texas programs is feasible, those options consistently deliver $5,000-8,000 more in starting salaries—a gap that compounds over a career and may justify slightly higher debt loads.