Physical Sciences Major Guide: Overview and RoEDU™ Opportunities 2025

The Physical Sciences major builds core foundations in this discipline and prepares students with practical, career-relevant skills. Use RoEDU™ to find programs that match your goals.

Within Sciences, students often explore key subfields and specializations that provide targeted expertise.

Graduates translate classroom knowledge into real-world impact across sectors through hands-on projects and internships.

As part of Sciences, this major connects to diverse, high-demand fields and interdisciplinary pathways.

Salary Outlook

Entry-level salary
$61,951

Typical starting pay soon after graduation.

Mid-career salary (10y)
$86,023

Estimated after a decade of experience.

Experienced salary (20y)
$101,531

Seasoned professionals at ~20 years.

Weighted median over last 5 years
CAGR 1.7%

CAGR (compound annual growth rate) summarizes average yearly change across the observed period.

Estimated lifetime earnings

40 years, present value
$1,945,439

Employment-weighted across mapped SOCs; entry ≈ 85% of median; historical CAGR shown for last 5y; projections capped at 3% CAGR; lifetime is 40-year present value at 3% discount.

Career Opportunities & Salaries

Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024) • Median wages, employment, and growth projections

OccupationMedian WageTotal JobsGrowth RateEducation
Natural Sciences Managers
SOC: 11-9121
Occupation: Natural Sciences Managers
$161,180
100,870
N/A
N/A
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
SOC: 25-2031
Occupation: Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
$64,580
1,072,540
N/A
N/A

Historical Career Trends (2020-2024)

Historical data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020-2024) • Salary trends and employment growth over 5 years

Natural Sciences Managers

16.8%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$161,180100,870
2023$157,74096,520
2022$144,44082,570
2021$137,90074,760
2020$137,94075,870

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

2.7%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$64,5801,072,540
2023$65,2201,045,170
2022$62,3601,042,090
2021$61,8201,020,240
2020$62,870991,000

Colleges offering Physical Sciences

University of Maryland-College Park

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$16k

Earnings

$69k

Linfield University

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$32k

Earnings

$75k

Montana Technological University

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$16k

Earnings

$64k

Carnegie Mellon University

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$33k

Earnings

$106k

Maine Maritime Academy

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$22k

Earnings

$103k