ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a associate's degree in Social Sciences, General worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 38 college programs with reportable data.
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$113,654 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.
Not availableTime to earn back the modeled cost
−107%Estimated return after 10 years
$44,267Observed 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.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$97,335
$8,000Current college-wide context−$113,335
$16,000Annual price−$129,335
$24,000Annual price−$145,335
$32,000Annual price−$161,335
$40,000Annual price−$177,335
Outcomes at a glance
$44,267Typical earnings four years after completion
$41,093Average earnings five years after completion
$9,314Typical federal student debt
38thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
38College 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.
Four useful answers about Social Sciences, General
How much do Social Sciences, General associate's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $44,267 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 $9,314. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Social Sciences, General?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $41,246 to $47,624 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Social Sciences, General?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 11 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
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.
CURRENT VIEW
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $44,267
- Federal debt
- $9,314
- Programs in the comparison
- 38
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $52,095
- Federal debt
- $25,805
- Programs in the comparison
- 95
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $57,722
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 9
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$41,246National median$44,26775th percentile$47,624
38 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
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
Ohlone College
$58,928 four years after completionFremont, CA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtEast Los Angeles College
$5,500 among completer borrowersMonterey Park, CA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classSierra College
537 reported awards in 2024–25Rocklin, CA · inspect the full program →PRICE × EARNINGS MAP
Where colleges sit for this exact degree
Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.
$55,329Observed year-4 earnings$41,246
Ohlone College$11,130 price · $58,928 earningsCity College of San Francisco$6,906 price · $56,257 earningsRoxbury Community College$12,244 price · $55,329 earningsDe Anza College$6,642 price · $51,460 earningsWoodland Community College$8,356 price · $51,051 earningsMerritt College$14,021 price · $50,001 earningsPasadena City College$3,864 price · $48,709 earningsNorthern Virginia Community College$9,919 price · $48,344 earningsAmerican River College$7,999 price · $47,731 earningsEast Los Angeles College$10,852 price · $47,624 earningsSanta Rosa Junior College$6,331 price · $46,768 earningsHarrisburg Area Community College$14,471 price · $46,654 earningsSan Diego Miramar College$3,337 price · $46,564 earningsArizona Western College$8,983 price · $45,617 earningsSierra College$7,245 price · $45,195 earningsCrafton Hills College$11,331 price · $44,769 earningsJ Sargeant Reynolds Community College$5,168 price · $44,435 earningsBrookdale Community College$11,231 price · $44,277 earningsMt San Antonio College$6,490 price · $44,256 earningsEssex County College$4,436 price · $44,106 earningsYuba College$2,576 price · $43,965 earningsMassasoit Community College$8,460 price · $43,185 earningsVirginia Peninsula Community College$7,012 price · $42,697 earningsLos Angeles Valley College$12,152 price · $42,610 earningsLong Beach City College$6,202 price · $42,308 earningsFresno City College$8,069 price · $42,228 earningsTidewater Community College$11,762 price · $41,334 earningsMerced College$5,040 price · $41,246 earningsButte College$5,520 price · $40,543 earnings
$3,337Annual college-wide average net price$12,244
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Ohlone College$58,9282City College of San Francisco$56,2573Roxbury Community College$55,3294College of San Mateo$52,6195De Anza College$51,4606Woodland Community College$51,0517Merritt College$50,0018Pasadena City College$48,7099Northern Virginia Community College$48,34410American River College$47,731Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
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.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →13%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Managers, All Other$141,900 median wage622,190 jobs nationwide+4.9% projected growth through 2035 · 100,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$74,300–$238,270 typical wage rangeSocial Scientists and Related Workers, All Other$101,110 median wage37,100 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 2,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$66,120–$160,300 typical wage rangeSocial Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other$72,990 median wage16,580 jobs nationwide+1.6% projected growth through 2035 · 1,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$40,670–$164,420 typical wage rangeSociologists$106,030 median wage2,260 jobs nationwide+3.8% projected growth through 2035 · 200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$65,160–$172,550 typical wage rangeStatisticians$105,650 median wage29,030 jobs nationwide+11.0% projected growth through 2035 · 1,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$64,000–$174,050 typical wage rangeSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 median wage1,065,210 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 63,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,780–$107,600 typical wage rangeSocial Science Research Assistants$61,990 median wage30,640 jobs nationwide+5.0% projected growth through 2035 · 4,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$38,090–$102,070 typical wage rangeSociology Teachers, Postsecondary$84,290 median wage11,850 jobs nationwide+2.2% projected growth through 2035 · 1,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$49,930–$160,140 typical wage rangeSurvey Researchers$69,460 median wage8,290 jobs nationwide-4.8% projected growth through 2035 · 600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$39,260–$130,860 typical wage rangeMiddle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$64,370 median wage620,090 jobs nationwide-0.4% projected growth through 2035 · 38,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,080–$102,540 typical wage rangeElementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$63,970 median wage1,388,390 jobs nationwide-0.4% projected growth through 2035 · 87,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$47,960–$104,340 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
Where this degree has enough data to compare
State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.
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.