FIRST PROFESSIONAL DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a first professional degree in Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 6 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$34,938 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$34,938Median year-4 earnings
$51,918Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
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What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$34,938Typical earnings four years after completion
$43,856Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
4thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
6College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 0 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems

How much do Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems first professional degree graduates earn?

The national median is $34,938 four years after completion across reportable first professional degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.

Does the college matter for Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $34,773 to $35,102 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 3 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

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Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$31,243
Federal debt
$12,125
Programs in the comparison
8
5 report earnings →
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Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$28,787
Federal debt
$26,701
Programs in the comparison
3
3 report earnings →
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Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$40,273
Federal debt
$39,188
Programs in the comparison
5
5 report earnings →
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Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$39,585
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
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Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$34,068
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
26
26 report earnings →
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Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$45,097
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
5
5 report earnings →
CURRENT VIEW

First Professional Degree

Year-4 earnings
$34,938
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
6
6 report earnings →
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Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$72,804
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$34,773National median$34,93875th percentile$35,102
6 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$35,10275th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
Not availableMedian federal debt across programs that report it
0Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Sonoran University of Health Sciences

$61,302 four years after completionTempe, AZ · inspect the full program →
Largest recent graduating class

Pacific College of Health and Science

263 reported awards in 2024–25San Diego, CA · inspect the full program →
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WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Sonoran University of Health Sciences$61,3022National University of Natural Medicine$48,3583Pacific College of Health and Science$34,7734Pacific College of Health and Science$34,7735Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine & Acupuncture$25,985

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners, All Other$115,210 median wage28,630 jobs nationwide+5.5% projected growth through 2035 · 1,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$65,210–$195,190 typical wage rangeAcupuncturists$76,040 median wage7,830 jobs nationwide+8.6% projected growth through 2035 · 800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$38,830–$161,470 typical wage rangeHealthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other$65,790 median wage35,010 jobs nationwide+5.1% projected growth through 2035 · 2,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$38,660–$129,830 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.