ROI Major

Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies at University of North Carolina -Greensboro

NC · 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 University of North Carolina -Greensboro earn a median salary of $44,467 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $45,467. The degree typically pays for itself in 15.9 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

$32,021

Typical Career

$44,467

Top Performers

$58,956

Estimated break-even: 15.9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$296

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,706. Most students can comfortably afford about a $296 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in North Carolina buys what costs $0.98 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 21.3%
Health Care & Social Assistance 20.3%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 8.8%

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

$45,467

Nominal: $44,467 in North Carolina (COL 97.8% of national avg) · 2.2% 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).

15.9 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 $24,637 $32,852 $43,047
5 Years After Graduation $32,021 $44,467 $58,956
10 Years After Graduation $42,013 $54,965 $73,398

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 $44,467 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in NC, which has a cost-of-living index of 97.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $44,467 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9780) = $45,467 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 the University of North Carolina - Greensboro experience a steady earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $32,852, which increases to $44,467 five years post-graduation and reaches $54,965 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns closely with the national equivalent at approximately $45,467. This indicates that graduates can expect a reasonable return on their investment in education over time, although the break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is estimated at around 15.9 years.

The top industries for graduates include Educational Services (21.3%), Health Care & Social Assistance (20.3%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (8.8%). These sectors suggest that graduates are likely to find employment in areas that contribute to societal well-being and knowledge dissemination. Overall, while the earnings potential is modest in the early years, the degree offers a pathway into meaningful careers, albeit with a longer break-even period compared to more traditional fields.

Compare with Another School

See how the Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies degree at University of North Carolina -Greensboro 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.