ROI Major

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Minneapolis Community and Technical College

MN · 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 Minneapolis Community and Technical College earn a median salary of $44,673 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $47,474. The degree typically pays for itself in 14.5 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

$31,076

Typical Career

$44,673

Top Performers

$60,078

Estimated break-even: 14.5 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$298

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,723. Most students can comfortably afford about a $298 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 Minnesota buys what costs $0.94 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 31.6%
Public Administration 8.8%
Retail Trade 7.3%

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

$47,474

Nominal: $44,673 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).

14.5 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 $22,788 $32,063 $44,557
5 Years After Graduation $31,076 $44,673 $60,078
10 Years After Graduation $41,019 $58,084 $80,143

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 $44,673 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)
= $44,673 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9410) = $47,474 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities program at Minneapolis Community and Technical College experience a steady earnings trajectory. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $32,063, increasing to $44,673 five years later and reaching $58,084 by the ten-year mark. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of approximately $47,473.96, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, there is potential for growth over time, particularly in a state with a cost-of-living index of 0.941.

The primary industries that graduates enter are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, with 57.2% of graduates finding employment in this sector. This concentration suggests a strong alignment between the program's skills and the demands of the job market. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 14.5 years, indicating that while the return on investment may take time to realize, the long-term benefits can be significant, particularly in a growing field like health care.

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See how the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities degree at Minneapolis Community and 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.