Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Managementat Purdue University-Main Campus
Graduates earn $31,317/yr in their first year — about 5.0% below the national Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management average. Base-case 10-year earnings $460K; scenarios range from $436K to $459K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Purdue University
While the earnings figures might seem modest, they reflect the reality of a career path rooted in public service and conservation, not high-stakes commercial fishing. As a Purdue graduate, you’re not competing for jobs on a Gloucester trawler; you’re being trained for vital roles within the Midwest's freshwater ecosystems. Think of managing fish populations for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, working on Great Lakes restoration projects, or joining environmental consultancies that monitor river health. Purdue's land-grant status and deep connections to state agencies create a direct pipeline to these stable, mission-driven careers. Your key to maximizing this degree is getting hands-on experience: volunteer or intern with a state fish hatchery or a local conservation district to build the practical skills and professional network you’ll need upon graduation.
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.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Purdue University's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
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.
Peer schools offering Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management
How Purdue University stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Purdue University
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Purdue University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management at Purdue University
How does Purdue University-Main Campus's Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management program score?
This program scores 25/100 — on the lower end for Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management. Prospective students should carefully weigh costs against likely earnings.