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ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 5132

Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities: is this associate's degree worth it?

National picture across 4 reporting college programs.

MODELED SCENARIO · Strong payoff

+$524,071 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.

Observed earnings clearly outpace the comparison earnings and estimated education cost in this scenario.

2.0 yrsModeled economic break-even

+404%Modeled 10-year ROI

$110,387Observed 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

$110,387Median reported earnings · year 4

$101,798Average reported earnings · year 5

$23,113Median federal debt

100thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential

4Reporting programs

2With 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: Not available
Federal debt: $25,430
Reporting programs: 1

0 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $110,387
Federal debt: $23,113
Reporting programs: 4

2 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $123,202
Federal debt: $23,574
Reporting programs: 2

1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $101,300
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 41

41 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings: $107,090
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 2

2 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$107,866National median$110,38775th percentile$107,866

2 programs report year‑4 earnings.

WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing$112,908 2Standard Healthcare Services-College of Nursing$107,866 3University of the District of ColumbiaNot available 4Hope College of Arts and SciencesNot available

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.

Education Administrators, PostsecondarySOC 11-9033 · 2 crosswalk linksHistoriansSOC 19-3093 · 2 crosswalk linksMedical and Health Services ManagersSOC 11-9111 · 2 crosswalk linksPostsecondary Teachers, All OtherSOC 25-1199 · 2 crosswalk linksAnthropologists and ArcheologistsSOC 19-3091 · 1 crosswalk linksCommunity Health WorkersSOC 21-1094 · 1 crosswalk linksDirectors, Religious Activities and EducationSOC 21-2021 · 1 crosswalk linksEducation Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1081 · 1 crosswalk linksGeographersSOC 19-3092 · 1 crosswalk linksHealth Specialties Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1071 · 1 crosswalk linksHealthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All OtherSOC 29-9099 · 1 crosswalk linksHistory Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1125 · 1 crosswalk links

BEST COLLEGES FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONS EDUCATION, ETHICS, AND HUMANITIES

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	Mount Sinai Phillips School of NursingAssociate's Degree	New York, NY	$112,908	$20,042	WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive	Not available
2	Standard Healthcare Services-College of NursingAssociate's Degree	Falls Church, VA	$107,866	$29,500	+289%	Strong payoff
3	University of the District of ColumbiaAssociate's Degree	Washington, DC	Not available	$21,475	WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive	$10,648
4	Hope College of Arts and SciencesAssociate's Degree	Pompano Beach, FL	Not available	$24,750	WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive	$13,325

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.