Bachelor's+38% vs national median330 grads tracked
Social Sciences at Penn State World Campus
Ranked 8th of 387 bachelor's programs in Social Sciences by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$61,121
middle 50%: $41,165 – $96,791
Median · 5 years out
$82,447
middle 50%: $52,502 – $124,000
Median · 10 years out
n/a
not enough graduates to report
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Social Sciences (bachelor's) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Penn State World Campus Social Sciences graduates earn $61k in their first year. Median earnings reach $82k by year five.
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
5 yrs
≈ $5,483 total interest
Same major at other universities
Connecticut College
$89,427 · 5 yrs out
Washington and Lee University
$88,696 · 5 yrs out
Missouri University of Science and Technology
$87,005 · 5 yrs out
University of Virginia
$85,899 · 5 yrs out
Wabash College
$85,089 · 5 yrs out
Fairfield University
$83,018 · 5 yrs out
University of Michigan
$81,813 · 5 yrs out
Earlham College
$80,540 · 5 yrs out
Virginia Military Institute
$80,444 · 5 yrs out
Bryant University
$80,101 · 5 yrs out
University of New Haven
$79,787 · 5 yrs out
Carleton College
$79,570 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Penn State World Campus
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Master's)
$168,439 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Statistics (Master's)
$148,888 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Master's)
$140,367 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Master's)
$137,771 · 5 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Programs (Master's)
$116,405 · 5 yrs out
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services (Master's)
$116,180 · 5 yrs out
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Bachelor's)
$115,921 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Bachelor's)
$105,760 · 5 yrs out
Social Sciences (Master's)
$104,798 · 5 yrs out
Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's)
$103,464 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's)
$99,192 · 5 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Programs (Bachelor's)
$97,813 · 5 yrs out