{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"EducationalOccupationalProgram","data_version":"1.0","generated_from":"2026-10-12","license":"Free to reuse with attribution: cite \"EducationGuide.com\" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).","url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/college-of-charleston/majors/geology-earth-science","ids":{"ipeds_unitid":217819,"cip4":"40.06","school_slug":"college-of-charleston","major_slug":"geology-earth-science"},"school":{"name":"College of Charleston","city":"Charleston","state":"SC","control":"Public","url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/college-of-charleston","data":"https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/college-of-charleston.json"},"major":{"name":"Geology / Earth Science","area":"Science & Math","credential":"Bachelor's degree"},"outcomes":{"median_earnings_1yr":49786,"median_earnings_4yr":63993,"median_debt":26500,"debt_to_earnings_4yr":0.414,"year":{"earnings_1yr":"Treasury AY2018-19, AY2019-20 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars","earnings_4yr":"Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars","debt":"NSLDS pooled AY2018-19, AY2019-20 cohort"},"source":"College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)"},"national":{"colleges_reporting":137,"median_earnings_4yr":60453,"median_debt":25000},"compared_with_same_major":{"calculated_by":"EducationGuide","state":null,"us":{"colleges_reporting":137,"median_earnings_4yr":60453,"difference":3540},"note":"State and U.S. medians are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major (4 years after graduating); a state median is published when at least 3 colleges in the state report earnings."},"value":{"calculated_by":"EducationGuide","time_to_finish":{"average_years_among_graduates":4.16,"finished_in_4_years":0.5605,"finished_within_6_years":0.6498,"cohort":1836,"entering_class":"Fall 2017","source":"IPEDS Graduation Rates (bachelor's-seeking cohort)"},"baseline":{"median_earnings_high_school_graduates":33516,"geography":"SC","ages":"25-34","years":"2020-2024","respondents":5115,"description":"high school graduates ages 25-34 in SC (Census ACS 2020-2024)","source":"U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year PUMS (microdata): ages 25-34, high school diploma or GED as highest level, not enrolled, earnings > 0; EducationGuide calculation"},"earnings_used":63993,"earnings_basis":"median earnings of this major's graduates 4 years after graduating (College Scorecard field of study); school-wide net price","by_family_income":{"0-30k":{"net_price_per_year":12133,"cost_to_finish":50473,"payback_years":1.7,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"1.7 years"},"30-48k":{"net_price_per_year":13406,"cost_to_finish":55769,"payback_years":1.8,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"1.8 years"},"48-75k":{"net_price_per_year":16797,"cost_to_finish":69876,"payback_years":2.3,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"2.3 years"},"75-110k":{"net_price_per_year":20089,"cost_to_finish":83570,"payback_years":2.7,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"2.7 years"},"110k+":{"net_price_per_year":24996,"cost_to_finish":103983,"payback_years":3.4,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"3.4 years"}},"method":"cost_to_finish = max(0, net price per year) x average years graduates took; payback_years = cost_to_finish / (earnings_used - baseline), one decimal; status over_cap above 20 years, no_premium when earnings do not exceed the baseline. 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