ROI Major

Health Professions and Related Programs — CIP 51.39 at Central Texas College District

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.39

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Health Professions and Related Programs — CIP 51.39 degree from Central Texas College District earn a median salary of $56,336 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $61,168. The degree typically pays for itself in 9.3 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

$44,286

Typical Career

$56,336

Top Performers

$69,876

Estimated break-even: 9.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$376

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,695. Most students can comfortably afford about a $376 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.5x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Texas buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 60.7%
Administrative & Support Services 8.4%
Educational Services 7.4%

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

$61,168

Nominal: $56,336 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% 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).

9.3 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 $36,237 $45,247 $55,931
5 Years After Graduation $44,286 $56,336 $69,876
10 Years After Graduation $49,569 $64,485 $82,734

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 $56,336 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $56,336 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $61,168 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of Health Professions and Related Programs at Central Texas College District can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $45,247, which increases to $56,336 five years post-graduation and reaches $64,485 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $61,168.3, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive financial standing relative to national averages, especially considering Texas's lower cost of living index.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, which accounts for 60.7% of employment, followed by a significant 24.9% in the same field, and 15.9% in Educational Services. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 9.3 years, suggesting that while the initial investment in education may take time to recoup, the long-term return on investment appears favorable. Overall, pursuing a career in health professions at this institution offers a viable pathway to stable employment and increasing earnings over time.

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See how the Health Professions and Related Programs — CIP 51.39 degree at Central Texas College District 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.