ROI Major

Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies at Arizona State University

AZ · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 05.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies degree from Arizona State University earn a median salary of $52,100 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in AZ, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $48,920. The degree typically pays for itself in 10.8 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$40,673

Typical Career

$52,100

Top Performers

$67,897

Estimated break-even: 10.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$347

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,342. Most students can comfortably afford about a $347 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Arizona buys what costs $1.07 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 14.8%
Health Care & Social Assistance 14.0%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 12.7%

Institution-wide industry mix for graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$48,920

Nominal: $52,100 in Arizona (COL 106.5% of national avg) · 6.1% lower purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

10.8 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $28,223 $36,560 $48,125
5 Years After Graduation $40,673 $52,100 $67,897
10 Years After Graduation $46,663 $65,573 $87,389

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $52,100 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in AZ, which has a cost-of-living index of 106.5% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $52,100 × (1.0 ÷ 1.0650) = $48,920 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates with a degree in Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies from Arizona State University can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $36,560, which increases to $52,100 after five years and reaches $65,573 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of approximately $48,920, indicating that while earnings are modest initially, they have the potential to grow significantly over time, especially considering the cost of living index in Arizona.

The top industries for graduates include Educational Services (14.8%), Health Care & Social Assistance (14.0%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (12.7%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 10.8 years, suggesting that while the return on investment may take over a decade to materialize, the diverse career opportunities in growing sectors can provide a stable foundation for long-term career development. Overall, the degree offers a pathway to meaningful employment, albeit with a longer timeline for financial returns.

Compare with Another School

See how the Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies degree at Arizona State University stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.