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GRADUATE/PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 5201

Business/Commerce, General: is this graduate/professional certificate worth it?

National picture across 3 reporting college programs.

Personal baseline needed

$113,127 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.

$113,127Median year-4 earnings

$18,417Average institution net-price context

Not availableMedian federal debt

Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Observed national outcomes

$113,127Median reported earnings · year 4

Not availableAverage reported earnings · year 5

Not availableMedian federal debt

86thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential

3Reporting programs

3With year-4 earnings

COMPARE CREDENTIAL LEVELS

The same field can produce a different equation.

Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings: $43,651
Federal debt: $14,094
Reporting programs: 26

18 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $52,628
Federal debt: $17,500
Reporting programs: 223

219 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $65,292
Federal debt: $26,290
Reporting programs: 293

282 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings: $134,050
Federal debt: $15,725
Reporting programs: 1

1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $106,812
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 77

77 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings: $107,902
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 1

1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

First Professional Degree

Year-4 earnings: $92,953
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 1

1 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings: $113,127
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 3

3 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings: $51,817
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 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$105,467National median$113,12775th percentile$113,127

3 programs report year‑4 earnings.

WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Indiana University-Bloomington$123,207 2University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth$113,127 3University of Kansas$105,467

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

WHERE THIS FIELD CAN LEAD

Related occupations

Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.

Administrative Services ManagersSOC 11-3012 · 1 crosswalk linksAppraisers of Personal and Business PropertySOC 13-2022 · 1 crosswalk linksBusiness Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1011 · 1 crosswalk linksChief ExecutivesSOC 11-1011 · 1 crosswalk linksConstruction ManagersSOC 11-9021 · 1 crosswalk linksCost EstimatorsSOC 13-1051 · 1 crosswalk linksEntertainment and Recreation Managers, Except GamblingSOC 11-9072 · 1 crosswalk linksFacilities ManagersSOC 11-3013 · 1 crosswalk linksGeneral and Operations ManagersSOC 11-1021 · 1 crosswalk linksIndustrial Production ManagersSOC 11-3051 · 1 crosswalk linksManagement AnalystsSOC 13-1111 · 1 crosswalk linksManagers, All OtherSOC 11-9199 · 1 crosswalk links

BEST COLLEGES FOR BUSINESS/COMMERCE, GENERAL

Same degree, different outcomes

Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. Automated ROI is withheld when an exact program price or personal earnings baseline is required.

#	College	Location	Earnings, year 4	Federal debt	ROI status	Cost context
1	Indiana University-BloomingtonGraduate/Professional Certificate	Bloomington, IN	$123,207	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,264
2	University of Massachusetts-DartmouthGraduate/Professional Certificate	North Dartmouth, MA	$113,127	Not available	Baseline needed	$20,927
3	University of KansasGraduate/Professional Certificate	Lawrence, KS	$105,467	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,059

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.