Bachelor's-7% vs national median245 grads tracked
Physical Sciences at Macalester College
Ranked 229th of 321 bachelor's programs in Physical Sciences by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$38,309
middle 50%: $24,191 – $52,232
Median · 5 years out
$61,737
middle 50%: $34,707 – $92,787
Median · 10 years out
$92,330
middle 50%: $67,095 – $134,296
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
Macalester College Physical Sciences graduates report a median first-year salary of $38k. Ten-year median earnings reach $92k.
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
6.9 yrs
≈ $8,261 total interest
Same major at other universities
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
St. Cloud State University
$61,969 · 5 yrs out
University of Iowa
$61,746 · 5 yrs out
Iowa State University of Science & Technology
$61,716 · 5 yrs out
Albany State University
$61,630 · 5 yrs out
Virginia State University
$61,630 · 5 yrs out
Texas Woman's University
$61,545 · 5 yrs out
University of South Carolina - Aiken
$61,498 · 5 yrs out
University of North Carolina - Charlotte
$61,441 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Macalester College
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Bachelor's)
$121,630 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)
$121,630 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Statistics (Bachelor's)
$99,879 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics (Bachelor's)
$99,879 · 5 yrs out
Economics (Bachelor's)
$94,989 · 5 yrs out
Physics (Bachelor's)
$77,901 · 5 yrs out
Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's)
$68,022 · 5 yrs out
Social Sciences (Bachelor's)
$64,005 · 5 yrs out
Education (Bachelor's)
$61,545 · 5 yrs out
Education, General (Bachelor's)
$61,545 · 5 yrs out
International/Globalization Studies (Bachelor's)
$58,734 · 5 yrs out
Chemistry (Bachelor's)
$58,734 · 5 yrs out