Home Schools Ohio State Geosciences
Physical Sciences · Geosciences Rank #70 of 103

Geosciencesat Ohio State University-Main Campus

Graduates earn $41,156/yr in their first year — about 3.0% above the national Geosciences average. Base-case 10-year earnings $511K; scenarios range from $483K to $514K depending on AI disruption.

Columbus, OH Public Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
39 AT RISK
40
Optimistic
42
Pessimistic
Earnings
$41,156
1-year post-graduation
ROI
8.8x
Earnings : in-state tuition
10-yr Base
$511K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
50% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at Ohio State

First-year earnings of $41,156 track close to the $39,933 national median for Geosciences programs. This is a middle-of-the-road outcome on salary alone.

The earnings-to-cost ratio of 9.9x signals a solid financial return — projected decade earnings comfortably exceed the tuition investment.

Some AI exposure exists in Geosciences's typical career paths, with 47% of job tasks potentially affected. The pessimistic scenario still projects solid returns, with a 6% gap from the optimistic case.

Median debt of $25,000 represents roughly 7 months of the $41,156 starting salary — a manageable burden by most borrower standards.

Ranked #70 of 103 Geosciences programs, Ohio State University-Main Campus falls below the median. Stronger options exist, though cost and location may compensate.

Earnings grow from $41,156 to $50,483 over five years — a 23% increase that's moderate and in line with typical career progression.

AI Outlook Integration

Three scenarios, ten years out

Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$483K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score42/100
Earnings Multiple9.4x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$511K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score39/100
Earnings Multiple9.9x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$514K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score40/100
Earnings Multiple10.0x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Ohio State's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Geosciences graduates typically work

Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.

1
Natural sciences managers
+3.7% 10-yr growth · 8,500 openings/yr
$161,180/yr
High
2
Atmospheric, earth, marine, and space sciences teachers, postsecondary
+2.6% 10-yr growth · 1,000 openings/yr
$101,390/yr
Moderate
3
Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers
+3.2% 10-yr growth · 2,000 openings/yr
$99,240/yr
Moderate
4
Hydrologists
-0.1% 10-yr growth · 500 openings/yr
$92,060/yr
High
5
Chemistry teachers, postsecondary
+2.2% 10-yr growth · 1,900 openings/yr
$86,220/yr
Moderate
6
Hydrologic technicians
-2.1% 10-yr growth · 400 openings/yr
$58,570/yr
High
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Geosciences

How Ohio State stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
Iowa State University
IA · Public
51
DW Score
$50K
1-yr earn
12.0x
ROI
College of Charleston
SC · Public
51
DW Score
$50K
1-yr earn
10.5x
ROI
University of South Florida
FL · Public
58
DW Score
$49K
1-yr earn
22.9x
ROI
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
MI · Public
44
DW Score
$46K
1-yr earn
7.1x
ROI
Top score
University of Wyoming
WY · Public
59
DW Score
$46K
1-yr earn
24.6x
ROI
Also at Ohio State

Other top programs at Ohio State

Other highest-scoring programs offered at Ohio State, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Geosciences at Ohio State

What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Geosciences at Ohio State University-Main Campus?

A score of 39/100 indicates below-average financial outcomes for Geosciences. Earnings, ROI, or AI risk factors are pulling the score down.

Will AI replace Geosciences careers?

With 47% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $482,738 in decade earnings vs $513,503 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.