Chemistry: is this doctoral degree worth it?
National picture across 38 reporting college programs.
Personal baseline needed
$116,122 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$116,122Median year-4 earnings
$18,400Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Observed national outcomes
$116,122Median reported earnings · year 4
$119,287Average reported earnings · year 5
Not availableMedian federal debt
68thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
38Reporting programs
38With year-4 earnings
The same field can produce a different equation.
Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $42,544
- Federal debt
- $13,818
- Reporting programs
- 1
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $60,787
- Federal debt
- $12,412
- Reporting programs
- 1
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $66,171
- Federal debt
- $24,000
- Reporting programs
- 277
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $95,163
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 9
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $116,122
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 38
Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)
- Year-4 earnings
- $90,234
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 1
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$109,414National median$116,12275th percentile$125,069
38 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1Stanford University$170,8982University of California, Berkeley$168,3963Indiana University-Bloomington$148,6344Colorado State University-Fort Collins$139,2965Massachusetts Institute of Technology$137,4046Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus$137,2177University of California, San Diego$136,3338University of California, Los Angeles$132,5699University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$131,27810Yale University$125,373Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Related occupations
Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.
Chemistry Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1052 · 12 crosswalk linksChemistsSOC 19-2031 · 12 crosswalk linksNatural Sciences ManagersSOC 11-9121 · 12 crosswalk linksChemical TechniciansSOC 19-4031 · 5 crosswalk linksForensic Science TechniciansSOC 19-4092 · 2 crosswalk linksComputer Occupations, All OtherSOC 15-1299 · 1 crosswalk linksComputer and Information Research ScientistsSOC 15-1221 · 1 crosswalk linksData ScientistsSOC 15-2051 · 1 crosswalk linksEnvironmental Science Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1053 · 1 crosswalk linksEnvironmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including HealthSOC 19-4042 · 1 crosswalk linksEnvironmental Scientists and Specialists, Including HealthSOC 19-2041 · 1 crosswalk linksFood Science TechniciansSOC 19-4013 · 1 crosswalk links
Same degree, different outcomes
Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. Automated ROI is withheld when an exact program price or personal earnings baseline is required.
| # | College | Location | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | ROI status | Cost context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford UniversityDoctoral Degree | Stanford, CA | $170,898 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,807 |
| 2 | University of California, BerkeleyDoctoral Degree | Berkeley, CA | $168,396 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,481 |
| 3 | Indiana University-BloomingtonDoctoral Degree | Bloomington, IN | $148,634 | Not available | Baseline needed | $16,264 |
| 4 | Colorado State University-Fort CollinsDoctoral Degree | Fort Collins, CO | $139,296 | Not available | Baseline needed | $21,279 |
| 5 | Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyDoctoral Degree | Cambridge, MA | $137,404 | Not available | Baseline needed | $20,111 |
| 6 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusDoctoral Degree | Atlanta, GA | $137,217 | Not available | Baseline needed | $12,116 |
| 7 | University of California, San DiegoDoctoral Degree | La Jolla, CA | $136,333 | Not available | Baseline needed | $12,470 |
| 8 | University of California, Los AngelesDoctoral Degree | Los Angeles, CA | $132,569 | Not available | Baseline needed | $12,548 |
| 9 | University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignDoctoral Degree | Champaign, IL | $131,278 | Not available | Baseline needed | $14,355 |
| 10 | Yale UniversityDoctoral Degree | New Haven, CT | $125,373 | Not available | Baseline needed | $23,777 |
| 11 | University of Michigan-Ann ArborDoctoral Degree | Ann Arbor, MI | $125,069 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,138 |
| 12 | North Carolina State University at RaleighDoctoral Degree | Raleigh, NC | $123,298 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,303 |
| 13 | Ohio State University-Main CampusDoctoral Degree | Columbus, OH | $123,152 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,339 |
| 14 | California Institute of TechnologyDoctoral Degree | Pasadena, CA | $119,626 | Not available | Baseline needed | $16,075 |
| 15 | Johns Hopkins UniversityDoctoral Degree | Baltimore, MD | $119,378 | Not available | Baseline needed | $18,809 |
| 16 | University of California, RiversideDoctoral Degree | Riverside, CA | $118,789 | Not available | Baseline needed | $14,304 |
| 17 | University of California, IrvineDoctoral Degree | Irvine, CA | $117,395 | Not available | Baseline needed | $14,251 |
| 18 | University of OregonDoctoral Degree | Eugene, OR | $117,141 | Not available | Baseline needed | $22,182 |
| 19 | Northwestern UniversityDoctoral Degree | Evanston, IL | $116,234 | Not available | Baseline needed | $29,167 |
| 20 | University of Notre DameDoctoral Degree | Notre Dame, IN | $116,010 | Not available | Baseline needed | $26,780 |
| 21 | Purdue University-Main CampusDoctoral Degree | West Lafayette, IN | $115,831 | Not available | Baseline needed | $14,600 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusDoctoral Degree | University Park, PA | $115,630 | Not available | Baseline needed | $32,875 |
| 23 | University of North Carolina at Chapel HillDoctoral Degree | Chapel Hill, NC | $114,619 | Not available | Baseline needed | $11,655 |
| 24 | The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleDoctoral Degree | Knoxville, TN | $114,312 | Not available | Baseline needed | $18,976 |
| 25 | Michigan State UniversityDoctoral Degree | East Lansing, MI | $113,129 | Not available | Baseline needed | $19,680 |
| 26 | University of DelawareDoctoral Degree | Newark, DE | $112,400 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,799 |
| 27 | University of California, DavisDoctoral Degree | Davis, CA | $111,674 | Not available | Baseline needed | $14,741 |
| 28 | University of South Carolina-ColumbiaDoctoral Degree | Columbia, SC | $110,812 | Not available | Baseline needed | $22,811 |
| 29 | University at BuffaloDoctoral Degree | Buffalo, NY | $109,414 | Not available | Baseline needed | $20,995 |
| 30 | University of GeorgiaDoctoral Degree | Athens, GA | $109,307 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,936 |
| 31 | University of Colorado BoulderDoctoral Degree | Boulder, CO | $107,618 | Not available | Baseline needed | $25,346 |
| 32 | University of Wisconsin-MadisonDoctoral Degree | Madison, WI | $105,406 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,354 |
| 33 | University of FloridaDoctoral Degree | Gainesville, FL | $100,761 | Not available | Baseline needed | $6,541 |
| 34 | University of IowaDoctoral Degree | Iowa City, IA | $100,644 | Not available | Baseline needed | $22,531 |
| 35 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh CampusDoctoral Degree | Pittsburgh, PA | $99,566 | Not available | Baseline needed | $30,434 |
| 36 | Florida International UniversityDoctoral Degree | Miami, FL | $99,213 | Not available | Baseline needed | $9,288 |
| 37 | Florida State UniversityDoctoral Degree | Tallahassee, FL | $94,387 | Not available | Baseline needed | $11,297 |
| 38 | Syracuse UniversityDoctoral Degree | Syracuse, NY | $91,446 | Not available | Baseline needed | $38,793 |
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.