ROI Major

Sociology at Morris College

SC · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 45.11

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Sociology degree from Morris College earn a median salary of $36,173 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in SC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $37,997. The degree typically pays for itself in 114.7 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

$29,255

Typical Career

$36,173

Top Performers

$45,515

Estimated break-even: 114.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$241

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,014. Most students can comfortably afford about a $241 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 0.9x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x 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, Educational Services, Public Administration.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 17.3%
Educational Services 16.3%
Public Administration 10.5%

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

$37,997

Nominal: $36,173 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).

114.7 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 $20,079 $27,760 $36,696
5 Years After Graduation $29,255 $36,173 $45,515
10 Years After Graduation $30,731 $40,599 $51,424

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 $36,173 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)
= $36,173 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9520) = $37,997 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates with a Sociology degree from Morris College experience a gradual increase in median earnings over time. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $27,760, which rises to $36,173 after five years and reaches $40,599 a decade later. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median earnings five years post-graduation align closely with the national average at approximately $37,996.85, reflecting a modest but positive financial trajectory in the context of South Carolina's cost of living index of 0.952.

The primary industries that Sociology graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance (17.3%), Educational Services (16.3%), and Public Administration (10.5%). While these sectors offer opportunities for employment, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 114.7 years. This suggests that the return on investment for a Sociology degree from Morris College may be limited, warranting careful consideration for students weighing their educational and career options.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Sociology degree at Morris College 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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