ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a associate's degree in Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 13 college programs with reportable data.
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$88,163 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.
34.9 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−71%Estimated return after 10 years
$48,534Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$54,660
$8,000Annual price−$70,660
$16,000Current college-wide context−$86,660
$17,000Current college-wide context−$88,660
$24,000Annual price−$102,660
$32,000Annual price−$118,660
$40,000Annual price−$134,660
Outcomes at a glance
$48,534Typical earnings four years after completion
$44,583Average earnings five years after completion
$12,000Typical federal student debt
50thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
13College 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.
Four useful answers about Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services
How much do Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services associate's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $48,534 four years after completion across reportable associate's degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $12,000. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $44,354 to $57,093 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 10 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
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.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $55,600
- Federal debt
- $13,722
- Programs in the comparison
- 4
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $48,534
- Federal debt
- $12,000
- Programs in the comparison
- 13
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $56,937
- Federal debt
- $24,998
- Programs in the comparison
- 14
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$44,354National median$48,53475th percentile$57,093
13 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
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
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
$60,464 four years after completionUniversity Park, PA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtUniversity of Massachusetts-Amherst
$11,000 among completer borrowersAmherst, MA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classPennsylvania State University-World Campus
29 reported awards in 2024–25University Park, PA · inspect the full program →PRICE × EARNINGS MAP
Where colleges sit for this exact degree
Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.
$60,464Observed year-4 earnings$42,193
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus$32,875 price · $60,464 earningsPennsylvania State University-World Campus$19,550 price · $60,464 earningsHorry-Georgetown Technical College$4,159 price · $59,774 earningsUniversity of Massachusetts-Amherst$22,383 price · $57,093 earningsPennsylvania College of Technology$25,110 price · $48,964 earningsOhio State University Agricultural Technical Institute$17,809 price · $48,534 earningsOhio State University-Main Campus$17,339 price · $48,534 earningsNorth Carolina State University at Raleigh$17,303 price · $45,637 earningsSoutheast Technical College$17,400 price · $45,576 earningsKirkwood Community College$9,705 price · $44,354 earningsSpartanburg Community College$2,405 price · $42,768 earningsFront Range Community College$13,031 price · $42,677 earningsSUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill$18,701 price · $42,193 earnings
$2,405Annual college-wide average net price$25,110
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
13 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 13 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus$60,4642Pennsylvania State University-World Campus$60,4643Horry-Georgetown Technical College$59,7744University of Massachusetts-Amherst$57,0935Pennsylvania College of Technology$48,9646Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute$48,5347Ohio State University-Main Campus$48,5348North Carolina State University at Raleigh$45,6379Southeast Technical College$45,57610Kirkwood Community College$44,354Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
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
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →12%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$98,700 median wage8,920 jobs nationwide+2.9% projected growth through 2035 · 800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$50,870–$163,150 typical wage rangeFarmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers$89,900 median wage6,500 jobs nationwide-3.4% projected growth through 2035 · 70,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$54,320–$160,020 typical wage rangeFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers$58,430 median wage130,760 jobs nationwide+4.0% projected growth through 2035 · 23,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$40,560–$85,650 typical wage rangeLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers$39,150 median wage952,640 jobs nationwide+4.7% projected growth through 2035 · 149,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: No formal educational credential$31,150–$56,730 typical wage rangeFarm and Home Management Educators$60,220 median wage8,220 jobs nationwide-3.2% projected growth through 2035 · 800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$37,650–$85,060 typical wage rangePesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation$46,340 median wage27,050 jobs nationwide+3.9% projected growth through 2035 · 3,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$35,570–$61,420 typical wage rangeFirst-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers$59,320 median wage27,960 jobs nationwide+3.8% projected growth through 2035 · 7,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$38,990–$91,770 typical wage rangeFirst-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers$48,520 median wage1,121,800 jobs nationwide-3.7% projected growth through 2035 · 113,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$33,120–$77,080 typical wage rangeForest and Conservation Workers$43,680 median wage6,050 jobs nationwide-1.5% projected growth through 2035 · 2,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$33,780–$57,220 typical wage rangeNO MATCHUnreported jobs nationwide
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.