Earth Systems Science Degrees (2026 stats)

Last updated: April 29, 2026 Source: College Scorecard

TL;DR

Earth Systems Science maps to BLS occupations averaging about $97,893, with roughly 22,610 workers nationwide in those roles. Median program completion runs near 59%; median in-state published tuition is about $11,908.

Key Statistics

43
Total Degrees Awarded (2023)
$11,908
Median In-State Public Tuition
$57,235
Median Out-of-State Private Tuition
$97,893
Avg. Wage (related occupations)
22,610
Workers (related occupations)
59.4%
Median Graduation Rate (4-yr schools)

Earth Systems Science: what the data shows

Common questions about earth systems science degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.

What is a earth systems science degree?

A Earth Systems Science program is classified under NCES CIP 00.3038 in the 00.0030 field family (00.30).

IPEDS counted 43 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.

Types of earth systems science degrees and related programs

Other NCES program codes in the 00.30 family with pages on EDsmart Data:

What do you learn in earth systems science?

O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Active Learning, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.

What degree do you need?

For Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).

O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.

What jobs can you get with a earth systems science degree?

Our degree→occupation mapping links Earth Systems Science to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.

OccupationU.S. employmentMedian annual wage
Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance3,320$50,280
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education114,410$61,430
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary97,890$80,190
Floral Designers40,160$36,120
Craft Artists4,370$38,480
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas17,410$59,600

See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.

Is a earth systems science degree worth it?

Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $11,908 and median net price is $13,480.

We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Earth Systems Science and the types of students that study this field.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$11,908 Median In-State Public

$57,235 Median Out of State Private

Tuition costs for Earth Systems Science majors are, on average, $11,908 for in-state public colleges, and $57,235 for out of state private colleges.

Tuition costs comparison for Earth Systems Science programs.

Degrees Awarded Over Time

43 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Earth Systems Science from 2015 to 2023.

Historical trend of degrees awarded in Earth Systems Science.

Top 5 Schools by Enrollment

# School State Enrollment
1 Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ 64,398
2 Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus GA 18,260

Schools with the largest enrollment offering Earth Systems Science programs.

Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition

# School State Tuition
1 Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus GA $11,764
2 Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ $12,051

Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Earth Systems Science programs.

Top 5 Lowest Net Price

# School State Net Price
1 Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus GA $13,289
2 Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ $13,670

Schools with the lowest average net price for Earth Systems Science programs.

Graduation Rates

59.36% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)

57.43% Average Graduation Rate

144 Institutions Reporting

43.88% - 71.16% Interquartile Range

Graduation/completion rates for Earth Systems Science programs across institutions.

Related specializations

Other NCES program codes in the 00.30 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.

Careers & Jobs

Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.

Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $97,893. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Earth Systems Science graduates alone.

Related occupations (BLS OEWS)

Occupation Mean annual wage U.S. employment
Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance$122,8053,320
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education$91,347114,410
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary$130,31897,890
Floral Designers$49,28440,160
Craft Artists$88,4304,370
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas$68,34117,410

Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.

Employment

Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$99,294 Average Wage in Workforce

The average salary for Earth Systems Science majors is $99,294.

Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Earth Systems Science majors.

Occupations by Share

22,610 2023 Workforce

The number of Earth Systems Science graduates in the workforce has been growing.

Various jobs filled by those with a major in Earth Systems Science by share of the total number of graduates.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Earth Systems Science in the United States.

Workforce Age

N/A Average Age in 2023

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Earth Systems Science.

Age distribution for Earth Systems Science degree holders in the workforce.

Gender Distribution

Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.

Gender distribution of Earth Systems Science degree recipients.

Race and Ethnicity Distribution

Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.

Racial and ethnic distribution of Earth Systems Science degree recipients.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Earth Systems Science are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.

Distribution of degree types awarded in Earth Systems Science.

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Earth Systems Science field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Required Skills

Earth Systems Science majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.

Rating of how necessary various skills are for Earth Systems Science majors.

Skills Bar Chart

This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.

Skill importance ratings for Earth Systems Science majors.

About

Earth Systems Science

In 2023, 43 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Earth Systems Science.

CIP Code

00.3038 - Earth Systems Science

What the data shows

Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $97,893. The largest mapped role by headcount is Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance (3,320 U.S. jobs in OEWS).

Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $11,908 in-state at public colleges and $57,235 at private institutions for programs in this field.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.

All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.