ROI Major

Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services at Midlands Technical College

SC · Associate's Degree · CIP 19.07

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services degree from Midlands Technical College earn a median salary of $28,511 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in SC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $29,949. The degree typically pays for itself in over 10 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

$23,542

Typical Career

$28,511

Top Performers

$37,689

Break-even is not clear from the available earnings data.

Debt-to-Income Check

$190

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $2,376. Most students can comfortably afford about a $190 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 0.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.4x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in South Carolina buys what costs $0.95 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 33.7%
Public Administration 9.7%
Retail Trade 7.2%

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

$29,949

Nominal: $28,511 in South Carolina (COL 95.2% of national avg) · 5% 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 years (extrapolated) 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 $21,642 $26,425 $32,758
5 Years After Graduation $23,542 $28,511 $37,689
10 Years After Graduation $28,103 $35,145 $52,460

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 $28,511 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in SC, which has a cost-of-living index of 95.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $28,511 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9520) = $29,949 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates in Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services from Midlands Technical College can expect a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $25,646, which rises to $28,805 after five years and reaches $30,926 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns more closely with a national equivalent of $30,257.35, reflecting the cost of living in South Carolina, which has a cost-of-living index of 0.952 compared to the national average.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 63.7% of graduates finding employment in this field. This trend continues with 44.9% and 33.7% of graduates also entering similar roles. However, the estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma exceeds ten years, indicating that while the field offers stable employment opportunities, the return on investment may take significant time to materialize.

Compare with Another School

See how the Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services degree at Midlands Technical 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.