According to data collected by the National Association of Colleges and Employers in their 2010 Fall Salary Survey, starting salary offers for geoscience graduates were highest for those graduating with geoscience-related engineering degrees (e.g. petroleum engineering, mining engineering, and environmental engineering). Geoscience-related engineering bachelor's graduates received average salary offers ranging between $55,491 for environmental engineering to $77,278 for petroleum engineering graduates. Geological and related sciences bachelor's degree recipients average salary offers were $37,431 which was on par with chemistry and some humanities disciplines (e.g. History, English, and Political science), and more than $10,000 lower than graduates from Mathematics ($48,499) and Physics disciplines ($52,487).
Average starting salary offers for Bachelor's degree recipients by degree field (2010). Reprinted with permission from the National Association of Colleges and Employers from the Fall 2010 NACE Salary Survey.
A Master's degree is required for most geoscience occupations. Starting salary offers in 2010 for geological and related sciences averaged $56,689 for Master's degree recipients and $58,625 for doctorates. In geoscience-related engineering disciplines, salary offers for Master’s degree recipients ranged from $86,769 for mining engineering to $96,000 for petroleum engineering.
Average starting salary offers for graduate degree recipients by degree field (2010). Reprinted with permission from the National Association of Colleges and Employers from the Fall 2010 NACE Salary Survey.