ROI Major

Teacher Education, Specific Levels and Methods at North Central Texas College

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 13.12

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Teacher Education, Specific Levels and Methods degree from North Central Texas College earn a median salary of $45,181 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $49,056. The degree typically pays for itself in 14.1 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

$32,438

Typical Career

$45,181

Top Performers

$62,075

Estimated break-even: 14.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$301

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,765. Most students can comfortably afford about a $301 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 Texas buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 29.9%
Educational Services 13.4%
Retail Trade 7.9%

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

$49,056

Nominal: $45,181 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% 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).

14.1 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 $20,183 $27,063 $35,591
5 Years After Graduation $32,438 $45,181 $62,075
10 Years After Graduation $47,119 $60,590 $67,343

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 $45,181 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $45,181 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $49,056 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Teacher Education, Specific Levels and Methods program at North Central Texas College can expect a steady increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $27,063, which rises to $45,181 after five years and reaches $60,590 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of approximately $49,056.46, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, the long-term financial outlook improves significantly.

The top industries that graduates enter predominantly include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 63.9% of employment, followed by another segment of Health Care & Social Assistance at 29.9%, and Educational Services at 13.4%. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 14.1 years, suggesting that while the initial investment in education may take time to pay off, the potential for higher earnings and job stability in these sectors presents a favorable return on investment over the long term.

Compare with Another School

See how the Teacher Education, Specific Levels and Methods degree at North Central Texas College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Ready to apply?

Start your application for Teacher Education, Specific Levels and Methods at North Central Texas College.

Apply to North Central Texas College

Explore More

Other Degrees at North Central Texas College

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.