ROI Major

Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at Metropolitan Community College

MO · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.09

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions degree from Metropolitan Community College earn a median salary of $59,655 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MO, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $66,878. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.9 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

$49,171

Typical Career

$59,655

Top Performers

$72,462

Estimated break-even: 7.9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$398

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,971. Most students can comfortably afford about a $398 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.5x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x 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: Health Care & Social Assistance, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Educational Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 26.4%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 11.3%
Educational Services 10.2%

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

$66,878

Nominal: $59,655 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).

7.9 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 $43,085 $52,363 $61,489
5 Years After Graduation $49,171 $59,655 $72,462
10 Years After Graduation $53,343 $67,254 $87,197

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 $59,655 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)
= $59,655 × (1.0 ÷ 0.8920) = $66,878 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at Metropolitan Community College experience a steady increase in median earnings over time. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $47,119, rising to $51,789 after five years, and reaching $58,858 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $58,059.42, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive earning potential relative to the national average, despite the cost of living index in Missouri being lower than the national average.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 26.4% of employment, followed closely by another segment of Health Care & Social Assistance at 25.4%, and Manufacturing at 22.6%. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 10.8 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this career path appears favorable. Overall, the combination of solid earnings growth and industry demand suggests a viable career trajectory for students in this field.

Compare with Another School

See how the Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions degree at Metropolitan Community College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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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.