{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"EducationalOccupationalProgram","data_version":"1.0","generated_from":"2026-10-11","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/pennsylvania-state-university-penn-state-erie-behrend-college/majors/physics","ids":{"ipeds_unitid":214591,"cip4":"40.08","school_slug":"pennsylvania-state-university-penn-state-erie-behrend-college","major_slug":"physics"},"school":{"name":"Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College","city":"Erie","state":"PA","control":"Public","url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/pennsylvania-state-university-penn-state-erie-behrend-college","data":"https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/pennsylvania-state-university-penn-state-erie-behrend-college.json"},"major":{"name":"Physics","area":"Science & Math","credential":"Bachelor's degree"},"outcomes":{"median_earnings_1yr":43461,"median_earnings_4yr":81763,"median_debt":23830,"debt_to_earnings_4yr":0.291,"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":107,"median_earnings_4yr":78569,"median_debt":23490},"compared_with_same_major":{"calculated_by":"EducationGuide","state":{"geography":"PA","colleges_reporting":7,"median_earnings_4yr":81763,"difference":0},"us":{"colleges_reporting":107,"median_earnings_4yr":78569,"difference":3194},"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":4.36,"finished_in_4_years":0.316,"finished_within_6_years":0.4553,"cohort":1041,"entering_class":"Fall 2017","source":"IPEDS Graduation Rates (bachelor's-seeking cohort)"},"baseline":{"median_earnings_high_school_graduates":35797,"geography":"PA","ages":"25-34","years":"2020-2024","respondents":14977,"description":"high school graduates ages 25-34 in PA (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":81763,"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":16092,"cost_to_finish":70161,"payback_years":1.5,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"1.5 years"},"30-48k":{"net_price_per_year":17884,"cost_to_finish":77974,"payback_years":1.7,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"1.7 years"},"48-75k":{"net_price_per_year":20539,"cost_to_finish":89550,"payback_years":1.9,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"1.9 years"},"75-110k":{"net_price_per_year":26914,"cost_to_finish":117345,"payback_years":2.6,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"2.6 years"},"110k+":{"net_price_per_year":29692,"cost_to_finish":129457,"payback_years":2.8,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"2.8 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. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. In-state net price for public colleges.","method_url":"https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value"},"state_rank":{"rank":2,"of":7,"by":"median earnings 4 years after graduating"},"state_comparison":[{"ipeds_unitid":216010,"name":"Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":91610,"median_debt":null,"net_price_average":23726,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.557,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/shippensburg-university-of-pennsylvania"},{"ipeds_unitid":214591,"name":"Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":81763,"median_debt":23830,"net_price_average":24558,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.436,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/pennsylvania-state-university-penn-state-erie-behrend-college/majors/physics"},{"ipeds_unitid":214777,"name":"Pennsylvania State University","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":81763,"median_debt":23830,"net_price_average":32875,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.861,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/pennsylvania-state-university-main-campus/majors/physics"},{"ipeds_unitid":214801,"name":"Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":81763,"median_debt":23830,"net_price_average":18071,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.198,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/pennsylvania-state-university-penn-state-abington/majors/physics"},{"ipeds_unitid":213349,"name":"Kutztown University of Pennsylvania","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":74813,"median_debt":null,"net_price_average":21331,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.538,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/kutztown-university-of-pennsylvania"},{"ipeds_unitid":498562,"name":"Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":73703,"median_debt":null,"net_price_average":15699,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.545,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/commonwealth-university-of-pennsylvania"},{"ipeds_unitid":213020,"name":"Indiana University of Pennsylvania","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":64837,"median_debt":29000,"net_price_average":16804,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.555,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/indiana-university-of-pennsylvania-main-campus/majors/physics"}],"careers":[{"soc":"25-2031","title":"Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education","median_wage_metro":65870,"metro":"Erie, PA","median_wage_state":78800,"median_wage_us":72040,"us_job_growth_2025_2035_pct":-0.2,"typical_entry_education":"Bachelor's degree","source":"BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35"},{"soc":"11-9121","title":"Natural Sciences Managers","median_wage_metro":74870,"metro":"Erie, PA","median_wage_state":137900,"median_wage_us":167220,"us_job_growth_2025_2035_pct":8.2,"typical_entry_education":"Bachelor's degree","source":"BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35"}],"school_context":{"net_price_average":24558,"net_price_by_family_income":{"0-30k":16092,"30-48k":17884,"48-75k":20539,"75-110k":26914,"110k+":29692},"acceptance_rate":0.968,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.436,"year":{"net_price":"AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25"}},"methodology":"https://educationguide.com/how-we-score"}