Bachelor's-6% vs national median398 grads tracked
Physical Sciences at Western Illinois University
Ranked 220th of 321 bachelor's programs in Physical Sciences by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$41,424
middle 50%: $28,802 – $58,093
Median · 5 years out
$62,208
middle 50%: $45,115 – $76,717
Median · 10 years out
$80,842
middle 50%: $58,150 – $107,201
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Physical Sciences (bachelor's) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Physical Sciences majors earn a median of $41k in their first year. By year 10, median pay is $81k.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.
Will the degree pay for itself?
Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.
Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).
Paid off in
6.8 yrs
≈ $7,944 total interest
Same major at other universities
Northeastern State University
$62,446 · 5 yrs out
University of South Carolina - Columbia
$62,434 · 5 yrs out
CUNY York College
$62,393 · 5 yrs out
Northern Illinois University
$62,298 · 5 yrs out
University of Alabama at Birmingham
$62,287 · 5 yrs out
Radford University
$62,238 · 5 yrs out
Christopher Newport University
$62,192 · 5 yrs out
University of Southern Indiana
$62,158 · 5 yrs out
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
$62,132 · 5 yrs out
University of Missouri - Columbia
$62,129 · 5 yrs out
Old Dominion University
$62,119 · 5 yrs out
State University of New York at Oneonta
$62,075 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Western Illinois University
Education (Doctorate)
$163,593 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Master's)
$107,538 · 5 yrs out
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians (Master's)
$98,269 · 5 yrs out
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services (Master's)
$97,417 · 5 yrs out
Physical Sciences (Master's)
$97,160 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Bachelor's)
$97,133 · 5 yrs out
Engineering, General (Bachelor's)
$96,422 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Master's)
$84,414 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)
$82,090 · 5 yrs out
Construction Management (Bachelor's)
$82,014 · 5 yrs out
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General (Bachelor's)
$81,320 · 5 yrs out
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's)
$80,729 · 5 yrs out