ROI Major

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research at Clark State College

OH · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.38

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree from Clark State College earn a median salary of $71,648 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OH, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $79,521. The degree typically pays for itself in 5.4 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

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

$58,584

Typical Career

$71,648

Top Performers

$85,554

Estimated break-even: 5.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$478

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,971. Most students can comfortably afford about a $478 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.8x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.9x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Ohio buys what costs $0.90 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Manufacturing, Public Administration.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 46.7%
Manufacturing 7.2%
Public Administration 6.5%

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

$79,521

Nominal: $71,648 in Ohio (COL 90.1% of national avg) · 11% 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).

5.4 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 $51,671 $62,654 $75,394
5 Years After Graduation $58,584 $71,648 $85,554
10 Years After Graduation $63,253 $79,879 $96,048

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 $71,648 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in OH, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $71,648 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9010) = $79,521 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from Clark State College pursuing Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, or Nursing Research can expect a solid earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $62,654, increasing to $71,648 after five years and reaching $79,879 a decade post-graduation. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $79,520.53, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive income relative to national standards despite being in Ohio, where the cost of living index is slightly lower than the national average.

The primary industries for graduates are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, with 65.5% entering this sector immediately after graduation. This trend continues with 46.7% and 37.0% remaining in similar roles five and ten years later, respectively. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 5.4 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a nursing career at Clark State College appears favorable, particularly in a growing and essential field.

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See how the Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree at Clark State College 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.