ROI Major

Education, General at Tyler Junior College

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 13.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Education, General degree from Tyler Junior College earn a median salary of $45,860 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $49,794. The degree typically pays for itself in 25 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

$36,336

Typical Career

$45,860

Top Performers

$54,879

Estimated break-even: 25 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$306

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,822. Most students can comfortably afford about a $306 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 Texas buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 42.6%
Educational Services 12.9%
Retail Trade 7.7%

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

$49,794

Nominal: $45,860 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).

25 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 $17,677 $23,001 $31,416
5 Years After Graduation $36,336 $45,860 $54,879
10 Years After Graduation $39,717 $47,839 $57,975

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 $45,860 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)
= $45,860 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $49,794 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Education, General program at Tyler Junior College experience a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $23,001, which rises to $45,860 five years later, and reaches $47,839 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median salary five years post-graduation is approximately $49,793.7, reflecting a competitive position relative to national averages, especially considering the cost of living index in Texas is lower than the national average.

The primary industries for graduates are concentrated in Health Care & Social Assistance, with a significant majority entering this sector. Approximately 81.7% of graduates find employment in this field, indicating strong demand for education professionals in health-related roles. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is around 25 years, suggesting that while the program offers a pathway into stable employment, the return on investment may take considerable time to materialize.

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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.