ROI Major

Special Education and Teaching at Augusta University

GA · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 13.10

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Special Education and Teaching degree from Augusta University earn a median salary of $55,119 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in GA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $60,905. The degree typically pays for itself in 10 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$48,315

Typical Career

$55,119

Top Performers

$61,842

Estimated break-even: 10 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$367

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,593. Most students can comfortably afford about a $367 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.4x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Georgia buys what costs $0.91 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 39.2%
Educational Services 20.5%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 7.4%

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

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$60,905

Nominal: $55,119 in Georgia (COL 90.5% of national avg) · 10.5% higher 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 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 $35,711 $42,371 $47,460
5 Years After Graduation $48,315 $55,119 $61,842
10 Years After Graduation $52,132 $63,318 $73,036

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 $55,119 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in GA, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.5% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $55,119 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9050) = $60,905 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Special Education and Teaching program at Augusta University experience a steady earnings trajectory. One year after graduation, median earnings are reported at $42,371, which increases to $55,119 five years later, and reaches $63,318 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of approximately $60,905, indicating that graduates can maintain a competitive standard of living despite the lower cost of living in Georgia (COL index: 0.905).

The top industries for graduates highlight a strong alignment with their training, with 39.2% entering Health Care & Social Assistance and 20.5% in Educational Services. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is around ten years, suggesting that while initial earnings may be modest, the long-term return on investment is favorable. Overall, pursuing a career in Special Education and Teaching at Augusta University appears to offer a solid foundation for growth and stability in the job market.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Special Education and Teaching degree at Augusta University stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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.

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