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ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 0305

Forestry: is this associate's degree worth it?

National picture across 5 reporting college programs.

MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff

−$134,162 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

−101%Modeled 10-year ROI

$44,915Observed 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

$44,915Median reported earnings · year 4

$52,285Average reported earnings · year 5

$12,311Median federal debt

39thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential

5Reporting programs

5With 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: $58,054
Federal debt: $20,923
Reporting programs: 1

1 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $44,915
Federal debt: $12,311
Reporting programs: 5

5 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $58,499
Federal debt: $22,250
Reporting programs: 33

31 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $73,612
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 4

4 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$42,466National median$44,91575th percentile$49,950

5 programs report year‑4 earnings.

WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Pennsylvania College of Technology$53,373 2Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science$49,950 3Horry-Georgetown Technical College$44,915 4Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus$42,466 5Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Mont Alto$42,466

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.

ForestersSOC 19-1032 · 7 crosswalk linksForestry and Conservation Science Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1043 · 7 crosswalk linksForest and Conservation TechniciansSOC 19-4071 · 4 crosswalk linksConservation ScientistsSOC 19-1031 · 3 crosswalk linksForest and Conservation WorkersSOC 45-4011 · 3 crosswalk linksFirst-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry WorkersSOC 45-1011 · 2 crosswalk links

BEST COLLEGES FOR FORESTRY

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.

#	College	Location	Earnings, year 4	Federal debt	10-year ROI	Verdict
1	Pennsylvania College of TechnologyAssociate's Degree	Williamsport, PA	$53,373	$12,000	-40%	Negative payoff
2	Paul Smiths College of Arts and ScienceAssociate's Degree	Paul Smiths, NY	$49,950	Not available	-65%	Negative payoff
3	Horry-Georgetown Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree	Conway, SC	$44,915	$12,622	-101%	Negative payoff
4	Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusAssociate's Degree	University Park, PA	$42,466	Not available	-116%	Negative payoff
5	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Mont AltoAssociate's Degree	Mont Alto, PA	$42,466	Not available	-120%	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.