ROI Major

Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas at Northeastern State University

OK · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 13.13

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas degree from Northeastern State University earn a median salary of $49,915 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OK, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $57,906. The degree typically pays for itself in 14 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

$43,898

Typical Career

$49,915

Top Performers

$57,448

Estimated break-even: 14 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$333

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,160. Most students can comfortably afford about a $333 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Oklahoma buys what costs $0.86 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 25.7%
Health Care & Social Assistance 19.8%
Public Administration 12.8%

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

$57,906

Nominal: $49,915 in Oklahoma (COL 86.2% of national avg) · 16% 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 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 $32,226 $40,371 $46,130
5 Years After Graduation $43,898 $49,915 $57,448
10 Years After Graduation $44,919 $53,243 $66,338

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 $49,915 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in OK, which has a cost-of-living index of 86.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $49,915 × (1.0 ÷ 0.8620) = $57,906 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas program at Northeastern State University experience a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $40,371, which increases to $49,915 after five years and reaches $53,243 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $57,906.03 nationally, reflecting a competitive position in the job market, especially considering Oklahoma's cost of living index of 0.862 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The top industries for graduates include Educational Services (25.7%), Health Care & Social Assistance (19.8%), and Public Administration (12.8%). With an estimated break-even point of approximately 14 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in this field appears favorable over the long term. This analysis suggests that while initial earnings may be modest, the potential for growth and stability in various sectors contributes to a solid career outlook for graduates.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas degree at Northeastern State University 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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