ROI Major

Criminal Justice and Corrections at Texas Woman's University

TX · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 43.01

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Criminal Justice and Corrections degree from Texas Woman's University earn a median salary of $56,647 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $61,506. The degree typically pays for itself in 9.4 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

$42,315

Typical Career

$56,647

Top Performers

$72,106

Estimated break-even: 9.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$378

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,721. Most students can comfortably afford about a $378 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.5x 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: Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, Finance & Insurance.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 41.3%
Educational Services 27.0%
Finance & Insurance 4.9%

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

$61,506

Nominal: $56,647 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).

9.4 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 $30,566 $40,460 $54,376
5 Years After Graduation $42,315 $56,647 $72,106
10 Years After Graduation $52,636 $67,850 $85,213

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 $56,647 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)
= $56,647 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $61,506 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 Woman's University can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $40,460, which increases to $56,647 five years post-graduation and reaches $67,850 after a decade. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median earnings five years after graduation equate to approximately $61,505.97 nationally, indicating that graduates can maintain a competitive salary relative to national standards despite the lower cost of living in Texas.

The primary sectors employing these graduates include Health Care & Social Assistance (41.3%) and Educational Services (27.0%), with Finance & Insurance making up 4.9%. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 9.4 years compared to a high school-only pathway, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in this field appears favorable. This suggests that while the initial earnings may not be substantially high, the long-term financial benefits and diverse career opportunities can justify the educational commitment.

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 Woman's 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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