ROI Major

Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies at St. Catherine University

MN · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 05.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies degree from St. Catherine University earn a median salary of $45,751 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $48,620. The degree typically pays for itself in 14.2 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

$31,905

Typical Career

$45,751

Top Performers

$55,369

Estimated break-even: 14.2 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$305

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,813. Most students can comfortably afford about a $305 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 Minnesota buys what costs $0.94 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 44.2%
Educational Services 11.6%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 5.9%

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

$48,620

Nominal: $45,751 in Minnesota (COL 94.1% of national avg) · 6.3% 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).

14.2 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 $26,246 $36,091 $44,060
5 Years After Graduation $31,905 $45,751 $55,369
10 Years After Graduation $37,592 $56,877 $73,271

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 $45,751 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in MN, which has a cost-of-living index of 94.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $45,751 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9410) = $48,620 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 Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies from St. Catherine University experience a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $36,091, which increases to $45,751 after five years and reaches $56,877 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $48,619.55 nationally, suggesting that graduates may find their earnings competitive relative to the broader market, especially considering the cost of living index in Minnesota is lower than the national average.

The primary industries employing graduates include Health Care & Social Assistance (44.2%), Educational Services (11.6%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (5.9%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 14.2 years, indicating that while the return on investment may take over a decade to realize, the degree can lead to stable employment in growing sectors. Overall, students should weigh the long-term benefits of this degree against the initial financial investment and potential career paths.

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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.