ROI Major

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Eastern Wyoming College

WY · Associate's Degree · CIP 24.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities degree from Eastern Wyoming College earn a median salary of $44,805 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in WY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $48,126. The degree typically pays for itself in 15.6 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

$30,666

Typical Career

$44,805

Top Performers

$60,755

Estimated break-even: 15.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$299

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,734. Most students can comfortably afford about a $299 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.2x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Wyoming buys what costs $0.93 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 16.4%
Educational Services 15.2%
Public Administration 11.0%

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

$48,126

Nominal: $44,805 in Wyoming (COL 93.1% of national avg) · 7.4% 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).

15.6 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 $21,552 $28,897 $42,490
5 Years After Graduation $30,666 $44,805 $60,755
10 Years After Graduation $36,766 $56,595 $79,958

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 $44,805 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in WY, which has a cost-of-living index of 93.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $44,805 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9310) = $48,126 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities program at Eastern Wyoming College experience a positive earnings trajectory over time. One year after graduation, median earnings stand at $28,897, which increases to $44,805 after five years and reaches $56,595 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $48,125.67, indicating that graduates can expect their earnings to maintain a competitive value relative to national standards, despite Wyoming's lower cost of living index.

The program's graduates predominantly enter industries such as Health Care & Social Assistance (16.4%), Construction (15.3%), and Educational Services (15.2%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 15.6 years, suggesting a long-term return on investment for those pursuing this degree. Overall, while the initial earnings may be modest, the potential for growth and entry into diverse fields indicates a reasonable ROI for students in this program.

Compare with Another School

See how the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities degree at Eastern Wyoming 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.