Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians: is this associate's degree worth it?
National picture across 42 reporting college programs.
MODELED SCENARIO · Strong payoff
+$177,334 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.
3.9 yrsModeled economic break-even
+158%Modeled 10-year ROI
$73,951Observed earnings · year 4
Observed national outcomes
$73,951Median reported earnings · year 4
$77,218Average reported earnings · year 5
$13,500Median federal debt
90thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
42Reporting programs
41With year-4 earnings
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
- $56,635
- Federal debt
- $10,244
- Reporting programs
- 27
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $73,951
- Federal debt
- $13,500
- Reporting programs
- 42
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $81,404
- Federal debt
- $24,250
- Reporting programs
- 55
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $86,133
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 4
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$66,818National median$73,95175th percentile$86,031
41 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1Baton Rouge Community College$142,0042Community College of Beaver County$136,8453SOWELA Technical Community College$127,7014University of Alaska Anchorage$125,4835Bismarck State College$121,0396River Parishes Community College$103,1797Weber State University$91,6908Great Basin College$90,3799Olympic College$90,00310Nashville State Community College$87,630Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Related occupations
Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.
Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All OtherSOC 17-3029 · 5 crosswalk linksIndustrial Engineering Technologists and TechniciansSOC 17-3026 · 3 crosswalk linksElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and TechniciansSOC 17-3023 · 1 crosswalk linksSemiconductor Processing TechniciansSOC 51-9141 · 1 crosswalk linksWelders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersSOC 51-4121 · 1 crosswalk links
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 | Baton Rouge Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Baton Rouge, LA | $142,004 | $16,000 | +790% | Strong payoff |
| 2 | Community College of Beaver CountyAssociate's Degree | Monaca, PA | $136,845 | Not available | +784% | Strong payoff |
| 3 | SOWELA Technical Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Lake Charles, LA | $127,701 | $7,457 | +687% | Strong payoff |
| 4 | University of Alaska AnchorageAssociate's Degree | Anchorage, AK | $125,483 | $20,750 | +567% | Strong payoff |
| 5 | Bismarck State CollegeAssociate's Degree | Bismarck, ND | $121,039 | $12,000 | +588% | Strong payoff |
| 6 | River Parishes Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Gonzales, LA | $103,179 | $11,187 | +422% | Strong payoff |
| 7 | Weber State UniversityAssociate's Degree | Ogden, UT | $91,690 | $20,600 | +322% | Strong payoff |
| 8 | Great Basin CollegeAssociate's Degree | Elko, NV | $90,379 | Not available | +324% | Strong payoff |
| 9 | Olympic CollegeAssociate's Degree | Bremerton, WA | $90,003 | $6,875 | +331% | Strong payoff |
| 10 | Nashville State Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Nashville, TN | $87,630 | Not available | +312% | Strong payoff |
| 11 | Portland Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Portland, OR | $86,031 | Not available | +270% | Strong payoff |
| 12 | ITI Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Baton Rouge, LA | $82,582 | $18,383 | +185% | Strong payoff |
| 13 | Ferris State UniversityAssociate's Degree | Big Rapids, MI | $81,624 | $16,750 | +241% | Strong payoff |
| 14 | Antelope Valley Community College DistrictAssociate's Degree | Lancaster, CA | $80,606 | Not available | +264% | Strong payoff |
| 15 | John C Calhoun State Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Tanner, AL | $78,956 | $12,000 | +222% | Strong payoff |
| 16 | Pennsylvania College of TechnologyAssociate's Degree | Williamsport, PA | $78,484 | $24,000 | +139% | Strong payoff |
| 17 | Ivy Tech Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Indianapolis, IN | $75,799 | $11,000 | +195% | Strong payoff |
| 18 | Mississippi Gulf Coast Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Perkinston, MS | $75,055 | $12,000 | +189% | Strong payoff |
| 19 | Texas State Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Waco, TX | $74,781 | $15,834 | +155% | Strong payoff |
| 20 | Millersville University of PennsylvaniaAssociate's Degree | Millersville, PA | $73,990 | Not available | +120% | Strong payoff |
| 21 | Nunez Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Chalmette, LA | $73,951 | $17,800 | +152% | Strong payoff |
| 22 | Hennepin Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Brooklyn Park, MN | $73,260 | Not available | +156% | Strong payoff |
| 23 | Vincennes UniversityAssociate's Degree | Vincennes, IN | $72,611 | $12,000 | +146% | Strong payoff |
| 24 | Jackson CollegeAssociate's Degree | Jackson, MI | $72,487 | Not available | +160% | Strong payoff |
| 25 | Pennsylvania Western UniversityAssociate's Degree | California, PA | $72,111 | Not available | +114% | Strong payoff |
| 26 | New England Institute of TechnologyAssociate's Degree | East Greenwich, RI | $70,808 | $17,500 | +58% | Positive payoff |
| 27 | Tidewater Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Norfolk, VA | $69,811 | Not available | +119% | Strong payoff |
| 28 | Danville Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Danville, VA | $68,329 | Not available | +126% | Strong payoff |
| 29 | Hudson Valley Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Troy, NY | $67,702 | Not available | +112% | Strong payoff |
| 30 | Virginia Western Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Roanoke, VA | $67,524 | Not available | +125% | Strong payoff |
| 31 | Brightpoint Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Chester, VA | $66,818 | Not available | +116% | Strong payoff |
| 32 | Pearl River Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Poplarville, MS | $65,243 | $11,000 | +96% | Positive payoff |
| 33 | South Louisiana Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Lafayette, LA | $65,243 | $13,500 | +76% | Positive payoff |
| 34 | Louisiana Delta Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Monroe, LA | $64,560 | Not available | +86% | Positive payoff |
| 35 | Sullivan UniversityAssociate's Degree | Louisville, KY | $60,258 | Not available | +8% | Positive payoff |
| 36 | Lone Star College SystemAssociate's Degree | The Woodlands, TX | $53,830 | Not available | -22% | Negative payoff |
| 37 | Mitchell Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Mitchell, SD | $52,992 | $12,000 | -32% | Negative payoff |
| 38 | Mountain Empire Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Big Stone Gap, VA | $52,159 | Not available | -34% | Negative payoff |
| 39 | Washtenaw Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Ann Arbor, MI | $47,772 | $15,000 | -71% | Negative payoff |
| 40 | Southern Arkansas University TechAssociate's Degree | Camden, AR | $47,560 | $7,350 | -76% | Negative payoff |
| 41 | Huertas CollegeAssociate's Degree | Caguas, PR | $42,579 | Not available | -125% | Negative payoff |
| 42 | North Dakota State College of ScienceAssociate's Degree | Wahpeton, ND | Not available | $18,609 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $11,261 |
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.