ROI Major

Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at Parkland College

IL · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.09

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions degree from Parkland College earn a median salary of $55,156 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $60,083. The degree typically pays for itself in 9.3 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

$42,988

Typical Career

$55,156

Top Performers

$66,831

Estimated break-even: 9.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$368

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,596. Most students can comfortably afford about a $368 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.4x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Illinois 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 32.7%
Educational Services 13.1%
Retail Trade 7.7%

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

$60,083

Nominal: $55,156 in Illinois (COL 91.8% of national avg) · 8.9% 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).

9.3 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 $40,865 $48,320 $57,047
5 Years After Graduation $42,988 $55,156 $66,831
10 Years After Graduation $49,725 $64,238 $77,573

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 $55,156 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IL, which has a cost-of-living index of 91.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $55,156 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $60,083 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at Parkland College can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $37,592, which increases to $58,527 after five years, and reaches $73,565 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $63,754.90, indicating that graduates can maintain a competitive standard of living relative to national averages despite the cost of living index in Illinois being slightly lower than the national average.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sectors, with 41.7%, 39.7%, and 32.7% of graduates finding employment in these fields. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately nine years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in this field appears favorable. This suggests that students can expect not only career stability but also a substantial increase in earnings over time, making it a viable option for those considering their future in allied health professions.

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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.