ROI Major

Criminal Justice and Corrections at Texas A&M International University

TX · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 43.01

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Criminal Justice and Corrections degree from Texas A&M International University earn a median salary of $52,944 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $57,485. The degree typically pays for itself in 11.2 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$38,593

Typical Career

$52,944

Top Performers

$70,000

Estimated break-even: 11.2 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$353

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,412. Most students can comfortably afford about a $353 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 Texas buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 43.2%
Health Care & Social Assistance 19.0%
Public Administration 6.7%

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

$57,485

Nominal: $52,944 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).

11.2 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 $25,525 $34,765 $48,009
5 Years After Graduation $38,593 $52,944 $70,000
10 Years After Graduation $46,175 $62,747 $83,800

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 $52,944 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)
= $52,944 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $57,485 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Criminal Justice and Corrections program at Texas A&M International University can expect a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $34,765, which increases to $52,944 after five years and reaches $62,747 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $57,485.34, indicating that graduates may experience a favorable financial outlook relative to the cost of living in Texas, where the cost of living index is 0.921 compared to the national average.

The top industries for graduates include Educational Services (43.2%), Health Care & Social Assistance (19.0%), and Public Administration (6.7%), suggesting diverse career opportunities within the field. The estimated break-even point for pursuing a degree versus a high-school-only path is approximately 11.2 years, indicating that while there is a significant initial investment in education, the long-term return on investment can be substantial. Overall, students can anticipate a solid career path with competitive salaries in various sectors, reflecting the value of their degree over time.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Criminal Justice and Corrections degree at Texas A&M International University 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.

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