ROI Major

Business Administration and Management at J Sargeant Reynolds Community College

VA · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from J Sargeant Reynolds Community College earn a median salary of $52,893 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in VA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $51,603. The degree typically pays for itself in 10.4 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

$39,100

Typical Career

$52,893

Top Performers

$71,382

Estimated break-even: 10.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$353

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,408. Most students can comfortably afford about a $353 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 Virginia buys what costs $1.03 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 33.2%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 8.4%
Retail Trade 7.8%

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

$51,603

Nominal: $52,893 in Virginia (COL 102.5% of national avg) · 2.4% lower 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).

10.4 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 $26,682 $38,559 $54,971
5 Years After Graduation $39,100 $52,893 $71,382
10 Years After Graduation $49,392 $65,897 $90,657

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 $52,893 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in VA, which has a cost-of-living index of 102.5% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $52,893 × (1.0 ÷ 1.0250) = $51,603 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Business Administration and Management program at J Sargeant Reynolds Community College can expect a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $38,559, which increases to $52,893 five years post-graduation and reaches $65,897 ten years later. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns closely with the national average at approximately $51,602.93, indicating that graduates can expect their earnings to maintain value relative to the cost of living.

The program's graduates predominantly enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sectors, with a significant 42.9% initially employed in this field. This trend continues with 36.5% and 33.2% of graduates remaining in similar roles over time. Considering the estimated break-even point of approximately 10.4 years compared to a high-school-only path, the overall return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable, particularly within the growing health care industry.

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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.