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Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians at Nicholls State University

Thibodaux, LA · Public · Bachelor's Degree
64 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
65
Optimistic
64
Base Case
63
Pessimistic
Earnings $52,842/yr (0% vs median)
AI Risk Moderate (20% exposed)
Job Market Medium (12,400 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $763K $570K $460K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 23.3x 17.4x 14.1x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 20.6x 15.4x 12.4x
Viable Career Paths 4 of 4 4 of 4 4 of 4
DegreeWorth Score 65 64 63

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$32,692
Out-of-state: $37,064
Median Debt at Graduation
$17,417
4.0 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$71,690
36% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 12,400 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Gas plant operators $83,400 1,300 -8.8% 9%
Engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other $77,390 5,700 +1.5% 24%
Service unit operators, oil and gas $57,980 4,100 +0.4% 6%
Geological technicians, except hydrologic technicians $48,390 1,300 +1.5% 39%

Compare & Explore

Other Majors at Nicholls State University

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($78,065) Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods ($46,549) Management Information Systems and Services ($44,153) Accounting and Related Services ($42,434) Business Administration, Management and Operations ($41,860) Fine and Studio Arts ($33,877) Marketing ($33,229) Sociology ($30,583)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians at Nicholls State University?
This program scores 64/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 65 (optimistic) to 63 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians graduates retain 4 of 4 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $460,379 (pessimistic) to $762,757 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians graduates?
The career paths mapped to Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians have roughly 12,400 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a medium job market.
Is Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians at Nicholls State University worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 17.4x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 14.1x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.