Geosciencesat University of California-Santa Cruz
Graduates earn $43,362/yr in their first year — about 9.0% above the national Geosciences average. Base-case 10-year earnings $695K; scenarios range from $624K to $721K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UC Santa Cruz
Your strong earnings potential from this UC Santa Cruz program reflects a combination of the university's rigorous scientific training and its advantageous location. The Bay Area and Central Coast regions have a persistent demand for skilled geoscientists in environmental consulting, water resource management, and geotechnical engineering. You'll find graduates working for firms specializing in environmental impact assessments, site remediation, or coastal hazard analysis, as well as with local government agencies addressing water quality and land use. The program's emphasis on field methods and data analysis equips you for these critical roles.
While the data highlights a high AI risk, this often pertains to repetitive data processing tasks. Your career trajectory will increasingly depend on leveraging advanced analytical tools (like GIS and remote sensing) for complex problem-solving and critical decision-making, rather than solely data collection. To truly thrive and mitigate this risk, focus on developing robust project management and communication skills, pushing your expertise towards specialized consulting or leadership roles where human judgment remains paramount.
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 UC Santa Cruz'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 Geosciences
How UC Santa Cruz stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UC Santa Cruz
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UC Santa Cruz, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Geosciences at UC Santa Cruz
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Geosciences at University of California-Santa Cruz?
A score of 51/100 puts this program in competitive territory — solid outcomes, though not at the top of the Geosciences field.
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 $624,475 in decade earnings vs $720,703 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.