ROI Major

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at L. E. Fletcher Technical Community College

LA · 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 L. E. Fletcher Technical Community College earn a median salary of $45,694 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in LA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $49,506. The degree typically pays for itself in 13.4 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

$31,369

Typical Career

$45,694

Top Performers

$64,402

Estimated break-even: 13.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$305

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,808. Most students can comfortably afford about a $305 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 Louisiana buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 29.4%
Manufacturing 13.8%
Retail Trade 8.8%

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

$49,506

Nominal: $45,694 in Louisiana (COL 92.3% of national avg) · 8.3% 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).

13.4 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 $20,295 $27,814 $38,715
5 Years After Graduation $31,369 $45,694 $64,402
10 Years After Graduation $47,255 $62,393 $92,387

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 $45,694 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in LA, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.3% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $45,694 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9230) = $49,506 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities from L. E. Fletcher Technical Community College experience a notable earnings trajectory. One year post-graduation, the median earnings stand at $27,814, which increases to $45,694 after five years and reaches $62,393 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $49,505.96 nationally, reflecting the impact of cost of living differences, particularly in Louisiana where the cost of living index is 0.923 compared to the national average.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for a significant 29.4% of employment, followed closely by another segment of Health Care & Social Assistance at 28.7%, and Manufacturing at 13.8%. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 13.4 years, indicating a moderate return on investment. This suggests that while the financial benefits of a degree may take time to materialize, the long-term earning potential in these sectors can be substantial.

Compare with Another School

See how the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities degree at L. E. Fletcher Technical Community College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Ready to apply?

Start your application for Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at L. E. Fletcher Technical Community College.

Apply to L. E. Fletcher Technical Community College

Explore More

Other Degrees at L. E. Fletcher Technical Community College

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.