ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a associate's degree in Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 2 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$72,576 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.

28.3 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−65%Estimated return after 10 years
$48,958Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$48,958 observed annual earnings · 2 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$48,958Typical earnings four years after completion
$35,555Average earnings five years after completion
$6,333Typical federal student debt
52thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
2College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 0 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other

How much do Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other associate's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $48,958 four years after completion across reportable associate's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $6,333. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $43,421 to $43,421 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 1 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$51,236
Federal debt
$14,119
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →
CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$48,958
Federal debt
$6,333
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$67,099
Federal debt
$27,000
Programs in the comparison
11
10 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$74,406
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
8
8 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$43,421National median$48,95875th percentile$43,421
2 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$43,42175th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$6,333Median federal debt across programs that report it
1Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Massasoit Community College

$54,495 four years after completionBrockton, MA · inspect the full program →
Largest recent graduating class

Community College of Vermont

6 reported awards in 2024–25Montpelier, VT · inspect the full program →
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

2 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 2 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Massasoit Community College$54,4952Community College of Vermont$43,421

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

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

NO MATCHUnreported jobs nationwide

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

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.