ROI Major

Business Administration and Management at Lake Superior College

MN · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from Lake Superior College earn a median salary of $54,051 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $57,440. The degree typically pays for itself in 10.5 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

$42,063

Typical Career

$54,051

Top Performers

$72,014

Estimated break-even: 10.5 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$360

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,504. Most students can comfortably afford about a $360 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 Minnesota buys what costs $0.94 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 49.5%
Public Administration 6.1%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 5.9%

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

$57,440

Nominal: $54,051 in Minnesota (COL 94.1% of national avg) · 6.3% 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).

10.5 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 $30,282 $40,883 $54,600
5 Years After Graduation $42,063 $54,051 $72,014
10 Years After Graduation $49,269 $61,737 $75,586

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 $54,051 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in MN, which has a cost-of-living index of 94.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $54,051 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9410) = $57,440 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

The earnings trajectory for graduates of Business Administration and Management at Lake Superior College shows a steady increase over time. Graduates earn a median of $40,883 one year after graduation, which rises to $54,051 after five years and reaches $61,737 by the ten-year mark. When considering purchasing power, the five-year salary adjusted for cost of living is approximately $57,439.96, indicating that graduates can expect their earnings to maintain a competitive edge relative to national averages despite the lower cost of living in Minnesota.

The primary industries that graduates enter predominantly include Health Care & Social Assistance, with a significant 61.4% of graduates employed in this sector. This trend suggests a strong alignment between the program and job opportunities in a growing field. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 10.5 years compared to a high school-only path, the overall return on investment for pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Management appears favorable, particularly for those entering high-demand industries.

Compare with Another School

See how the Business Administration and Management degree at Lake Superior College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Ready to apply?

Start your application for Business Administration and Management at Lake Superior College.

Apply to Lake Superior College

Explore More

Other Degrees at Lake Superior 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.