ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 0502

Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies: is this associate's degree worth it?

National picture across 1 reporting college programs.

MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff

−$213,330 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.

At these assumptions, the estimated earnings premium does not recover the modeled economic investment within ten years.

Modeled economic break-even
−181%Modeled 10-year ROI
$35,455Observed earnings · year 4
Economic ROI includes direct price and earnings forgone during study · $45,000 comparison earnings · values held flat · see the formula
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Observed national outcomes

$35,455Median reported earnings · year 4
Not availableAverage reported earnings · year 5
Not availableMedian federal debt
11thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
1Reporting programs
1With 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
$60,561
Federal debt
$24,449
Reporting programs
6
4 report earnings →
CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$35,455
Federal debt
Not available
Reporting programs
1
1 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$51,565
Federal debt
$23,000
Reporting programs
120
103 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings
Not available
Federal debt
$22,903
Reporting programs
1
0 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$69,317
Federal debt
Not available
Reporting programs
6
6 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$74,436
Federal debt
Not available
Reporting programs
1
1 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$35,455National median$35,45575th percentile$35,455
1 programs report year‑4 earnings.
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1College of the Muscogee Nation$35,455

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.

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1062 · 12 crosswalk linksInterpreters and TranslatorsSOC 27-3091 · 1 crosswalk links
BEST COLLEGES FOR ETHNIC, CULTURAL MINORITY, GENDER, AND GROUP STUDIES

Same degree, different outcomes

Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. ROI uses each institution’s average net price as a scenario—not an individual aid offer.

#CollegeLocationEarnings, year 4Federal debt10-year ROIVerdict
1College of the Muscogee NationAssociate's DegreeOkmulgee, OK$35,455Not available-181%Negative payoff

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.