# Earth & Geological Sciences jobs in France for international graduates

Earth & Geological Sciences jobs in France: typical pay €47,400, 454 planned hires a month, +31.8% job growth to 2035, Job-search permit 12 months.

Page: https://uniferedu.com/job-market-research/france/earth-and-geological-sciences

## Job market at a glance

The jobs **Earth & Geological Sciences** leads to, added together. Each label compares Earth & Geological Sciences with the other French fields.

- **Planned hires a month vs last year**: -27% (Weak)
- **Planned hires a month**: 454 (Moderate)
- **Hires employers expect to be hard to fill**: 46%
- **Average pay, net (calculated)**: €47,400 (Moderate)
- **Pay under 30, net (calculated)**: €30,200 (Moderate)
- **Growth to 2035 (Cedefop)**: +31.8% (Strong)
- **Change since 2023**: +6.3% (Strong)
- **People in these jobs**: 180,896 (Weak)
- **Jobs on the shortage-occupation list**: 63% (Moderate)

People in these jobs: employed people in these job families (DARES, from INSEE's Labour Force Survey). Hard to fill: the share of the 2026 hiring projects that employers told France Travail they expect to be difficult (Besoins en main-d'œuvre survey), weighted by how common each job is among this field's destinations. French pay is published NET (after social contributions, before income tax), as an average in full-time equivalent including bonuses; yearly = monthly × 12, calculated by UNIFER. Entry-level pay is the average of employees under 30. Shortage-occupation list: the government's "métiers en tension" list of 21 May 2025, which waives the labour-market test. The list is set region by region; a job counts here when it is listed in at least one of the 13 regions, and the jobs table shows in how many.

## Jobs this degree leads to

The jobs **Earth & Geological Sciences** courses most often lead to in France, and how each one is doing.

| Job | Share | Average pay | Entry pay | Growth to 2035 | Planned hires a month vs last year | Hard to fill | Shortage list |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1. Research and development engineers and managers (industry) | 27% | €53,366 est. | €33,100 | +33.6% | 912 -28.7% | 47% | 1 of 13 regions |
| 2. Researchers (outside industry and higher education) | 22% | €42,950 est. | €25,511 | +33.6% | 88 -50.5% | 41% | 4 of 13 regions |
| 3. Construction design, geology, quantity surveying and building inspection professionals | 12% | €47,334 est. | €31,996 | +33.6% | 119 -38% | 63% | not listed |
| 4. IT and telecoms engineers (design, research and development) | 9% | €48,837 est. | €34,035 | +41.9% | 1,511 -19.5% | 57% | 6 of 13 regions |
| 5. Agricultural engineers and technical managers | 7% | €41,226 est. | €27,191 | +33.6% | 57 -26.1% | 25% | not listed |
| 6. Senior public administration staff (grade A, non-legal) | 6% | €47,549 est. | €28,651 | +24.6% | — | — | not listed |
| 7. Production methods and quality-control engineers | 5% | €50,734 est. | €33,416 | +33.6% | 181 -32.6% | 42% | 1 of 13 regions |
| 8. Farm technicians and supervisors | 5% | €30,730 est. | €23,775 | -7.4% | 330 +1.5% | 47% | not listed |
| 9. Industrial health, safety and environment (HSE) engineers and managers | 4% | €48,053 est. | €31,097 | +33.6% | 75 +20.6% | 28% | not listed |
| 10. Production and manufacturing engineers and managers | 3% | €57,204 est. | €33,385 | +33.6% | 275 -27.4% | 44% | not listed |

Share: how common each job is among Earth & Geological Sciences destinations. Entry pay: the average net pay of employees under 30 in these occupations (France publishes no lower quartile). Planned hires a month: hiring projects employers reported for the year in France Travail's survey (Besoins en main-d'œuvre 2026), divided by 12, against 2025. These are plans, not job ads; central government is not covered. Hard to fill: the share of each job's planned hires its employers expect to be difficult (France Travail, 2026). Shortage list: in how many of the 13 metropolitan regions the job is on the "métiers en tension" list of 21 May 2025. Jobs are France's own job families (FAP 2021, DARES). Planned hires, people in work and the shortage list are published for these families; pay is published for INSEE's occupation codes and translated to each family through INSEE's and DARES's correspondence tables ("est."). Swipe the table sideways for more.

## What graduates like you earned

Master's graduates (French and international) who studied **Earth & Geological Sciences** or a related Sciences de la terre et des planetes, environnement subject, one year after graduating, working in France. Earnings are published for Sciences de la terre et des planetes, environnement as a whole.

- **Master's graduates in France earned median, net, one year after graduating · middle half €22,600–€30,600**: €26,500

Foreign-born tertiary graduates working full time in France earned **101.3%** of what French-born graduates earned (2017). Based on 571 graduates. Net pay (after social contributions, before income tax), full-time equivalent; yearly = monthly × 12, calculated by UNIFER. France publishes no figure for international graduates on their own.

## Staying to work after you graduate

How international students stay to work in France after studying **Earth & Geological Sciences**.

1 Finish your course

A master's (or another master's-level degree) from a French institution.

2 Job-search permit 12 months

to look for a job or start a business in France; you can work as an employee while it lasts. It cannot be renewed. Indian students can stay up to **24 months** (12, renewable once) under the India–France agreement, according to Campus France India.

3 Work permit

**Salaried permit:** for a job linked to your studies paying at least **€2,801** a month gross (€33,606 a year), the employer does not need to show that no one else could fill it. Jobs on the shortage-occupation list ("métiers en tension") are also exempt.

**Passeport talent (qualified employee):** at least **€39,582** a year gross, with a French master's-level degree.

**EU Blue Card:** at least **€59,373** a year gross.

- **Typical pay in Earth & Geological Sciences jobs vs the salaried-permit minimum**: €60,800 est. typical pay, gross (est.) minimum **€33,606**

The permit amounts are gross; the pay figures on this page are net (after social contributions). For the bar only, the net average is turned into gross with a stated factor (net ÷ 0.78, typical for private-sector employees), so the gross figure is an estimate. The exact gross pay depends on the job and the contract.

- **Earth & Geological Sciences jobs on the shortage-occupation list (at least one region)**: 63%

In 2025, **41,232** non-EU students in France switched from a study permit to a work permit, **1,465** of them Indian citizens.

Graduates living in France who are citizens of non-EU countries: **69.5%** in work, against 88.8% of French graduates (ages 25–64, 2025).

## Earth & Geological Sciences in other countries

Typical pay for the same jobs (in US dollars in brackets, at October 2026 exchange rates), projected growth, and post-study work after a master's.

- [France €47,400 net ($53,100) Growth +31.8% (2022–35) · Job-search permit 12 months](https://uniferedu.com/job-market-research/france/earth-and-geological-sciences)
- [Belgium €64,900 ($72,600) Growth +19.1% (2022–35) · Search year 12 months](https://uniferedu.com/job-market-research/belgium/earth-and-geological-sciences)
- [Spain €42,200 ($47,200) Growth +30.5% (2022–35) · Job-search permit 24 months](https://uniferedu.com/job-market-research/spain/earth-and-geological-sciences)
- [United Kingdom £48,900 ($65,400) Growth +10.8% (2025–35) · Graduate visa 18 months](https://uniferedu.com/job-market-research/uk/earth-and-geological-sciences)
- [United States $96,100 Growth +4.6% (2025–35) · OPT 12 months, 36 with the STEM extension](https://uniferedu.com/job-market-research/us/earth-and-geological-sciences)
- [Canada CA$100,800 ($72,000) Growth +8.4% (2023–33) · PGWP up to 36 months](https://uniferedu.com/job-market-research/canada/earth-and-geological-sciences)

- [Australia AU$130,500 ($91,600) Growth +17.9% (2025–35) · 24 months](https://uniferedu.com/job-market-research/australia/earth-and-geological-sciences)
- [Ireland €47,700 ($53,400) Growth +5.1% (2025–28) · Stamp 1G 24 months](https://uniferedu.com/job-market-research/ireland/earth-and-geological-sciences)
- [Germany €70,200 ($78,600) Growth +5.4% (2023–40) · 18 months](https://uniferedu.com/job-market-research/germany/earth-and-geological-sciences)
- [Netherlands €65,500 ($73,300) Growth +1.2% (2025–30) · Orientation year 12 months](https://uniferedu.com/job-market-research/netherlands/earth-and-geological-sciences)
- [Sweden SEK 587,000 ($59,000) Growth +39.3% (2022–35) · Permit to look for work 12 months](https://uniferedu.com/job-market-research/sweden/earth-and-geological-sciences)
- [Denmark DKK 737,800 ($110,500) Growth +25.6% (2022–35) · Job-seeking permit 12 months](https://uniferedu.com/job-market-research/denmark/earth-and-geological-sciences)
- [Finland €55,000 ($61,600) Growth +25.3% (2022–35) · Permit to look for work 24 months](https://uniferedu.com/job-market-research/finland/earth-and-geological-sciences)
- [Poland PLN 113,900 ($29,000) Growth +34.8% (2022–35) · Permit to look for work 9 months](https://uniferedu.com/job-market-research/poland/earth-and-geological-sciences)
- [Italy €23,500 net ($26,300) Growth +36.8% (2022–35) · Permit to look for work up to 12 months](https://uniferedu.com/job-market-research/italy/earth-and-geological-sciences)
- [Switzerland CHF 106,200 ($128,800) Job search 6 months](https://uniferedu.com/job-market-research/switzerland/earth-and-geological-sciences)

## French universities teaching Earth & Geological Sciences

5 French universities offer 8 postgraduate courses in Earth & Geological Sciences. The highest ranked:

- [PSL University QS #34 · 1 course](https://uniferedu.com/universities/psl-university)
- [Universite Paris Cite QS #303 · 1 course](https://uniferedu.com/universities/universite-paris-cite)
- [Universite Grenoble Alpes QS #387 · 2 courses](https://uniferedu.com/universities/universite-grenoble-alpes)
- [Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 QS #613 · 1 course](https://uniferedu.com/universities/claude-bernard-university-lyon-1)
- [University of Lille QS #686 · 3 courses](https://uniferedu.com/universities/university-of-lille)

[See all 8 courses in the Course Explorer →](https://uniferedu.com/explore?country=FR&sub_field=Earth%20%26%20Geological%20Sciences)

## Questions students ask

### How much do Earth & Geological Sciences graduates earn in France?

Master's graduates in France who finished a master's in Sciences de la terre et des planetes, environnement earned a median €26,500 one year after graduating. Across all workers in these jobs, typical pay is €47,400 and starting pay about €30,200.

### Is Earth & Geological Sciences in demand in France?

Employers posted about 454 planned hires a month for these jobs, 27% fewer than a year earlier. Employment in these jobs is projected to grow 31.8% from 2022 to 2035.

### Can I stay and work in France after a Earth & Geological Sciences master's?

Yes, for 12 months on a job-search permit after a master's, free to work as an employee (24 months for Indian students, according to Campus France India). To stay, a job linked to your studies paying at least €2,801 a month gross needs no labour-market test.

## Where these numbers come from

Every figure comes from an official French source. Tap a source tag next to any number for its details.

- [Cedefop Skills Forecast — future employment growth by occupation group, France, 2022–2035](https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/skills-intelligence/future-employment-growth)
European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) · Cedefop: reuse with acknowledgement of the source (CC BY 4.0) · loaded 19 Oct 2026

- [DARES — Portraits statistiques des métiers, effectifs par famille professionnelle (FAP 2021)](https://dares.travail-emploi.gouv.fr/donnees/portraits-statistiques-des-metiers)
DARES (Ministry of Labour) · Licence Ouverte 2.0 (DARES open data; the site's own terms not read) · loaded 19 Oct 2026

- [Change of immigration status permits, education to employment, France (migr_reschange)](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_reschange/default/table?lang=en)
Eurostat · Eurostat reuse policy: free reuse with acknowledgement of the source (Commission Decision 2011/833/EU) · loaded 19 Oct 2026

- [Employment rates by educational attainment and citizenship, tertiary education, ages 25–64, France (lfsa_ergaedn)](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/lfsa_ergaedn/default/table?lang=en)
Eurostat · Eurostat reuse policy: free reuse with acknowledgement of the source (Commission Decision 2011/833/EU) · loaded 19 Oct 2026

- [Enquête Besoins en main-d'œuvre (BMO) 2026 and 2025 — planned hires and hard-to-fill hires by occupation family (FAP 2021)](https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/enquete-besoins-en-main-doeuvre-bmo)
France Travail · Licence Ouverte (France Travail) · loaded 19 Oct 2026

- [Salaires dans le secteur privé (et la fonction publique) par catégorie socioprofessionnelle détaillée — INSEE; job-family (FAP 2021) figures calculated by UNIFER through INSEE's and DARES's correspondence tables](https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/salaires-dans-le-secteur-prive-par-categorie-socioprofessionnelle-detaillee)
INSEE (base Tous salariés) · Licence Ouverte 2.0 (Etalab) · loaded 19 Oct 2026

- [InserSup — insertion professionnelle des diplômés de master (MESR-SIES); yearly figure calculated by UNIFER](https://data.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/explore/dataset/fr-esr-insersup/)
Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (MESR-SIES) · Licence Ouverte 2.0 (Etalab) · loaded 19 Oct 2026

- [Arrêté du 21 mai 2025 — liste des métiers et zones géographiques caractérisés par des difficultés de recrutement](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000051643488)
Ministère du Travail (Journal officiel, Légifrance) · Official legal text · loaded 19 Oct 2026

- [Education at a Glance — relative earnings of foreign-born adults with tertiary education, France (DF_LSO_EARN_REL_NATIVE)](https://data-explorer.oecd.org/)
OECD · OECD data — reuse with attribution · loaded 19 Oct 2026

- [French post-study and work permit rules — service-public.fr (manually verified)](https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F17319)
Direction de l'information légale et administrative (service-public.fr) — transcribed and verified by UNIFER · Official government information · loaded 19 Oct 2026

Indicative figures from official French sources. They describe groups of graduates and workers, not what any individual will earn or be offered. Visa rules change, so check service-public.fr before you decide.