truewise Honest US education data

Physical Science Technologies/Technicians

Science Technologies

Physical Science Technologies/Technicians graduates with a associate's typically earned about $90,820, measured a few years after finishing (median across US programs, College Scorecard).
Explore this major →

Median earnings by degree level

Earnings range across schools, by degree levelEach row is a degree level: the bar is the middle half of schools' program medians (25th to 75th percentile) and the dot is the overall median. Associate's median $90,820, $71,777 to $99,658.$72k$86k$100kAssociate's$90,820
Earnings range across schools, by degree levelEach row is a degree level: the bar is the middle half of schools' program medians (25th to 75th percentile) and the dot is the overall median. Associate's median $90,820, $71,777 to $99,658.$72k$86k$100kAssociate's$90,820
DegreeMedian earningsTypical rangeSchoolsClear the bar
Associate's Degree$90,820$71,777 to $99,65817100%

"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.

Job outlook

Projected employment growth +4% (2025 to 2035), about 40,700 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.

OccupationMedian payGrowthOpenings/yr
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$58,040+3.6%13,900
Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other$62,280+4.4%11,200
Chemical Technicians$60,390+4.9%7,600
Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health$55,090+6.9%5,300
Chemical Plant and System Operators$78,120-5.2%1,300
Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians$53,350+3.6%1,000

Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.

Where this is studied

The 8 colleges where the most students complete a physical science technologies/technicians program, of 68 that report one. Ordered by number of completions only: this is where people study it, not a judgement about where to.

Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.