ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a associate's degree in Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 35 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$233,141 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.

Not availableTime to earn back the modeled cost
−198%Estimated return after 10 years
$33,442Observed 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.

What stays fixed$33,442 observed annual earnings · 2 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$33,442Typical earnings four years after completion
$34,195Average earnings five years after completion
$17,623Typical federal student debt
6thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
31College 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 Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians

How much do Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians associate's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $33,442 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 $17,623. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $31,908 to $36,824 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 8 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.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$33,711
Federal debt
$12,547
Programs in the comparison
16
13 report earnings →
CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$33,442
Federal debt
$17,623
Programs in the comparison
35
31 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$45,120
Federal debt
$27,000
Programs in the comparison
27
27 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$74,573
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
3
3 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$31,908National median$33,44275th percentile$36,824
31 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$36,82475th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$17,623Median federal debt across programs that report it
1Programs 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

Northeast Community College

$45,059 four years after completionNorfolk, NE · inspect the full program →
Lowest reported federal debt

CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College

$10,250 among completer borrowersNew York, NY · inspect the full program →
Largest recent graduating class

SAE Institute of Technology-Nashville

171 reported awards in 2024–25Nashville, TN · 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.

$43,668Observed year-4 earnings$27,069
$4,266Annual college-wide average net price$36,483
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Northeast Community College$45,0592Full Sail University$44,1563Minneapolis Community and Technical College$43,6684CUNY LaGuardia Community College$41,5175Western Iowa Tech Community College$41,4186CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College$37,3837Salt Lake Community College$36,8248MediaTech Institute-Dallas$36,7629Iowa Western Community College$35,42510Vincennes University$35,421

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.

Film and Video Editors$75,420 median wage25,610 jobs nationwide+3.7% projected growth through 2035 · 3,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$40,280–$148,550 typical wage rangeCamera Operators, Television, Video, and Film$74,990 median wage21,550 jobs nationwide+1.3% projected growth through 2035 · 2,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$38,520–$135,180 typical wage rangeLighting Technicians$68,060 median wage8,900 jobs nationwide-4.8% projected growth through 2035 · 600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$42,310–$130,760 typical wage rangeBroadcast Technicians$59,570 median wage21,110 jobs nationwide-3.1% projected growth through 2035 · 1,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$31,390–$123,670 typical wage rangeAudio and Video Technicians$58,100 median wage70,230 jobs nationwide+3.9% projected growth through 2035 · 6,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$37,990–$100,650 typical wage rangeSound Engineering Technicians$73,130 median wage13,080 jobs nationwide-3.1% projected growth through 2035 · 1,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$37,570–$137,370 typical wage rangeCourt Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners$72,420 median wage12,870 jobs nationwide-0.1% projected growth through 2035 · 1,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$42,130–$130,560 typical wage rangeDisc Jockeys, Except Radio7,920 jobs nationwide+3.8% projected growth through 2035 · 1,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent

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.