ROI Major

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research at Tarrant County College District

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.38

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree from Tarrant County College District earn a median salary of $88,103 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $95,660. The degree typically pays for itself in 4.1 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 graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$71,767

Typical Career

$88,103

Top Performers

$105,225

Estimated break-even: 4.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$587

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $7,342. Most students can comfortably afford about a $587 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.1x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Texas buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 25.2%
Educational Services 14.4%
Finance & Insurance 8.2%

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

$95,660

Nominal: $88,103 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% 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).

4.1 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 $58,259 $69,599 $82,756
5 Years After Graduation $71,767 $88,103 $105,225
10 Years After Graduation $79,683 $100,095 $120,019

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 $88,103 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $88,103 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $95,660 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, and Nursing Research programs at Tarrant County College District can expect a promising earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $69,599, which increases to $88,103 after five years and reaches $100,095 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $95,660.15 nationally, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive edge in the job market despite regional cost-of-living differences, as Texas has a cost-of-living index of 0.921 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The top industries for graduates predominantly include Health Care & Social Assistance (25.2%), Transportation & Warehousing (19.2%), and Public Administration (18.9%). This distribution reflects a strong alignment with the healthcare sector, which is expected to continue growing. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 4.1 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a nursing career is favorable, suggesting that the educational commitment yields substantial long-term financial benefits.

Compare with Another School

See how the Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree at Tarrant County College District stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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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.