ROI Major

Business Administration and Management at Pennsylvania State University (The) - Mont Alto

PA · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from Pennsylvania State University (The) - Mont Alto earn a median salary of $61,827 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in PA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $63,024. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.7 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 graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$47,574

Typical Career

$61,827

Top Performers

$83,557

Estimated break-even: 7.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$412

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,152. Most students can comfortably afford about a $412 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.6x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Pennsylvania buys what costs $0.98 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 28.0%
Educational Services 8.1%
Manufacturing 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

$63,024

Nominal: $61,827 in Pennsylvania (COL 98.1% of national avg) · 1.9% 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).

7.7 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 $33,058 $45,505 $62,018
5 Years After Graduation $47,574 $61,827 $83,557
10 Years After Graduation $55,261 $79,787 $115,506

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 $61,827 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in PA, which has a cost-of-living index of 98.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $61,827 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9810) = $63,024 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates with a degree in Business Administration and Management from Pennsylvania State University - Mont Alto experience a positive earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $45,505, increasing to $61,827 five years post-graduation, and reaching $79,787 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median earnings five years after graduation equate to approximately $63,024.46 nationally, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive salary relative to the national average, even considering the cost of living in Pennsylvania.

The top industries for graduates include Health Care & Social Assistance (28.0%), Educational Services (8.1%), and Manufacturing (7.9%), reflecting a diverse range of career opportunities. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 7.7 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable. Overall, students can expect a solid career foundation with potential for growth in various sectors, making this program a viable option for those interested in business administration.

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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.