Master's+3% vs national median180 grads tracked
Physical Sciences at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
Ranked 44th of 132 master's programs in Physical Sciences by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$63,522
middle 50%: $41,019 – $96,257
Median · 5 years out
$85,898
middle 50%: $59,848 – $136,647
Median · 10 years out
$110,354
middle 50%: $74,086 – $164,441
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Physical Sciences (master's) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Virginia Tech Physical Sciences master's graduates start at a median of $64k. Salaries climb to $86k by year five and $110k by year ten.
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
4.8 yrs
≈ $5,254 total interest
Same major at other universities
University of Oregon
$89,289 · 5 yrs out
City College of New York - CUNY
$89,177 · 5 yrs out
University of North Texas
$87,772 · 5 yrs out
University of Colorado Denver
$87,070 · 5 yrs out
University of Colorado Boulder
$86,111 · 5 yrs out
Utah State University
$85,965 · 5 yrs out
Georgia Institute of Technology
$85,775 · 5 yrs out
University of Texas at El Paso
$85,523 · 5 yrs out
University of Alabama in Huntsville
$85,473 · 5 yrs out
University of Michigan
$84,962 · 5 yrs out
State University of New York at Albany
$84,962 · 5 yrs out
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
$83,858 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Doctorate)
$160,426 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Doctorate)
$155,674 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Master's)
$148,193 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Doctorate)
$132,072 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Statistics (Doctorate)
$130,533 · 5 yrs out
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's)
$129,123 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Bachelor's)
$125,251 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)
$125,251 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Master's)
$121,443 · 5 yrs out
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)
$119,838 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Master's)
$116,512 · 5 yrs out
Education (Doctorate)
$109,749 · 5 yrs out