Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences at University of North Carolina Wilmington

Before getting too focused on the numbers, note that this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates—enough to give you a general sense of direction, but not enough to bank your child's future on. That said, UNC Wilmington's geosciences program sits in an interesting middle ground: it performs below the national average for this major but actually ranks at the 60th percentile among North Carolina programs, meaning it beats several in-state competitors despite trailing East Carolina's stronger outcomes by about $6,500 annually.

The debt picture is the clearest positive here. At $26,000, graduates borrow slightly more than the state median but well below the national average, and the 0.68 debt-to-earnings ratio is manageable—students typically earn enough in their first year to pay off roughly 1.5 times their debt. Earnings do grow 14% over the first four years to $44,000, though geosciences is a field where salaries often depend heavily on whether graduates move into private sector work or remain in lower-paying environmental consulting or public sector roles.

For in-state families, this program offers reasonable value if your student is committed to geosciences specifically and wants the coastal research opportunities Wilmington provides. Out-of-state students should think carefully about whether they're getting enough from this program versus stronger options elsewhere, especially given the small sample size makes it hard to know if these outcomes are typical.