Social Sciences, General at Washington State University
Pullman, WA · Public · Bachelor's Degree
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
71
Optimistic
68
Base Case
64
Pessimistic
Earnings
$43,069/yr (11% vs median)
AI Risk
High (45% exposed)
Job Market
Very Large (318,400 openings/yr)
How AI Changes the Outlook
Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Social Sciences, General graduates.
| Optimistic No Disruption |
Base Case Gradual AI |
Pessimistic Aggressive AI |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Year Earnings | $636K | $448K | $321K |
| Earnings Multiple (In-State) | 12.2x | 8.6x | 6.2x |
| Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) | 5.5x | 3.9x | 2.8x |
| Viable Career Paths | 11 of 11 | 11 of 11 | 10 of 11 |
| DegreeWorth Score | 71 | 68 | 64 |
10-Year Earnings Projection
*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.
4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$51,988
Out-of-state: $116,292
Median Debt at Graduation
$21,551
6.0 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$59,442
38% growth from Year 1
Career Paths
Where Social Sciences, General graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 318,400 combined openings per year.
| Career Path | Wage | Openings/yr | Growth | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managers, all other | $136,550 | 106,700 | +4.5% | 47% |
| Statisticians | $103,300 | 2,000 | +8.5% | 66% |
| Sociologists | $101,690 | 300 | +3.6% | 54% |
| Social scientists and related workers, all other | $100,340 | 3,200 | -1.7% | 52% |
| Sociology teachers, postsecondary | $82,540 | 1,100 | +2.1% | 43% |
| Social sciences teachers, postsecondary, all other | $75,040 | 1,500 | +1.7% | 0% |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education | $64,580 | 66,200 | -1.6% | 33% |
| Survey researchers | $63,380 | 700 | -5.2% | 62% |
Compare & Explore
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DegreeWorth Score for Social Sciences, General at Washington State University?
This program scores 68/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 71 (optimistic) to 64 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Social Sciences, General career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Social Sciences, General graduates retain 11 of 11 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $321,490 (pessimistic) to $635,544 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Social Sciences, General graduates?
The career paths mapped to Social Sciences, General have roughly 318,400 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a very large job market.
Is Social Sciences, General at Washington State University worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 8.6x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 6.2x. 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.