ROI Major

Apparel and Textiles at Georgia Southern University

GA · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 19.09

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Apparel and Textiles degree from Georgia Southern University earn a median salary of $46,540 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in GA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $51,425. The degree typically pays for itself in 13.1 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

$35,748

Typical Career

$46,540

Top Performers

$59,310

Estimated break-even: 13.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$310

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,878. Most students can comfortably afford about a $310 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 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 20.4%
Educational Services 20.0%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 9.8%

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

$51,425

Nominal: $46,540 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).

13.1 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 $24,523 $32,932 $42,371
5 Years After Graduation $35,748 $46,540 $59,310
10 Years After Graduation $41,964 $61,070 $82,749

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 $46,540 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)
= $46,540 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9050) = $51,425 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Apparel and Textiles program at Georgia Southern University experience a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $32,932, which increases to $46,540 after five years and reaches $61,070 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $51,425.41, indicating that graduates can expect competitive earnings relative to their peers across the country, especially considering Georgia's cost of living index of 0.905 compared to the national average of 1.0.

In terms of career opportunities, graduates predominantly enter sectors such as Health Care & Social Assistance (20.4%), Educational Services (20.0%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (9.8%). The estimated break-even point for pursuing this degree versus a high-school-only path is approximately 13.1 years, suggesting that while there is a significant upfront investment in education, the long-term return on investment appears favorable. Overall, the data indicates that a degree in Apparel and Textiles from Georgia Southern University can lead to a stable and growing career path.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Apparel and Textiles degree at Georgia Southern 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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