ROI Major

CIP Family 34 — CIP 34.01 at Lincoln University

MO · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 34.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a CIP Family 34 — CIP 34.01 degree from Lincoln University earn a median salary of $44,160 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MO, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $49,507. The degree typically pays for itself in 17 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

$32,785

Typical Career

$44,160

Top Performers

$56,106

Estimated break-even: 17 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$294

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,680. Most students can comfortably afford about a $294 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Missouri buys what costs $0.89 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 18.0%
Public Administration 17.3%
Health Care & Social Assistance 16.4%

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

$49,507

Nominal: $44,160 in Missouri (COL 89.2% of national avg) · 12.1% 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).

17 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 $24,082 $30,057 $39,284
5 Years After Graduation $32,785 $44,160 $56,106
10 Years After Graduation $33,861 $54,051 $64,402

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 $44,160 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in MO, which has a cost-of-living index of 89.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $44,160 × (1.0 ÷ 0.8920) = $49,507 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from CIP Family 34 — CIP 34.01 at Lincoln University experience a positive earnings trajectory over time. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $30,057, which increases to $44,160 after five years and reaches $54,051 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $49,506.73 nationally, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, they improve significantly over time, suggesting a solid return on investment as graduates progress in their careers.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Educational Services (18.0%), Public Administration (17.3%), and Health Care & Social Assistance (16.4%). Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 17 years compared to a high-school-only path, students can expect a reasonable return on their investment in education. The diverse range of industries also reflects the versatility of the degree, providing graduates with various career opportunities that can lead to stable employment and growth in earnings over time.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the CIP Family 34 — CIP 34.01 degree at Lincoln 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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