ROI Major

Educational Administration and Supervision at Pennsylvania State University (The)

PA · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 13.04

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Educational Administration and Supervision degree from Pennsylvania State University (The) earn a median salary of $83,018 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in PA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $84,626. The degree typically pays for itself in 3.8 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

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

$70,402

Typical Career

$83,018

Top Performers

$101,595

Estimated break-even: 3.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$553

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,918. Most students can comfortably afford about a $553 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.1x 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: Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 21.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance 12.7%
Educational Services 12.1%

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

$84,626

Nominal: $83,018 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).

3.8 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 $54,757 $78,372 $102,869
5 Years After Graduation $70,402 $83,018 $101,595
10 Years After Graduation $73,442 $87,772 $103,697

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 $83,018 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)
= $83,018 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9810) = $84,626 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Educational Administration and Supervision program at Pennsylvania State University can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $78,372, increasing to $83,018 after five years and reaching $87,772 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $84,625.89, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive financial standing relative to their peers across the country, despite Pennsylvania's slightly lower cost of living index.

The program's graduates primarily enter industries such as Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (21.9%), Health Care & Social Assistance (12.7%), and Educational Services (12.1%). The estimated break-even point for this educational investment compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 3.8 years, suggesting a favorable return on investment. Overall, pursuing a degree in Educational Administration and Supervision appears to offer a solid financial and career advancement opportunity for graduates in Pennsylvania.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Educational Administration and Supervision degree at Pennsylvania State University (The) 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.

Explore More