Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians: is this associate's degree worth it?
National picture across 35 reporting college programs.
MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff
−$233,141 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
−198%Modeled 10-year ROI
$33,442Observed earnings · year 4
Observed national outcomes
$33,442Median reported earnings · year 4
$34,195Average reported earnings · year 5
$17,623Median federal debt
6thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
35Reporting programs
31With 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
- $33,711
- Federal debt
- $12,547
- Reporting programs
- 16
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $33,442
- Federal debt
- $17,623
- Reporting programs
- 35
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $45,120
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Reporting programs
- 27
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $74,573
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 3
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$31,908National median$33,44275th percentile$36,824
31 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1Northeast Community College$45,0592Full Sail University$44,1563Minneapolis Community and Technical College$43,6684CUNY LaGuardia Community College$41,5175Western Iowa Tech Community College$41,4186CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College$37,3837Salt Lake Community College$36,8248MediaTech Institute-Dallas$36,7629Iowa Western Community College$35,42510Vincennes University$35,421Observed 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.
Audio and Video TechniciansSOC 27-4011 · 2 crosswalk linksBroadcast TechniciansSOC 27-4012 · 2 crosswalk linksCamera Operators, Television, Video, and FilmSOC 27-4031 · 2 crosswalk linksFilm and Video EditorsSOC 27-4032 · 2 crosswalk linksLighting TechniciansSOC 27-4015 · 2 crosswalk linksCourt Reporters and Simultaneous CaptionersSOC 27-3092 · 1 crosswalk linksDisc Jockeys, Except RadioSOC 27-2091 · 1 crosswalk linksSound Engineering TechniciansSOC 27-4014 · 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 | Northeast Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Norfolk, NE | $45,059 | Not available | -99% | Negative payoff |
| 2 | Full Sail UniversityAssociate's Degree | Winter Park, FL | $44,156 | $31,000 | -105% | Negative payoff |
| 3 | Minneapolis Community and Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Minneapolis, MN | $43,668 | Not available | -111% | Negative payoff |
| 4 | CUNY LaGuardia Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Long Island City, NY | $41,517 | Not available | -134% | Negative payoff |
| 5 | Western Iowa Tech Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Sioux City, IA | $41,418 | Not available | -133% | Negative payoff |
| 6 | CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | New York, NY | $37,383 | $10,250 | -176% | Negative payoff |
| 7 | Salt Lake Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Salt Lake City, UT | $36,824 | Not available | -175% | Negative payoff |
| 8 | MediaTech Institute-DallasAssociate's Degree | Dallas, TX | $36,762 | $20,000 | -164% | Negative payoff |
| 9 | Iowa Western Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Council Bluffs, IA | $35,425 | $12,000 | -180% | Negative payoff |
| 10 | Vincennes UniversityAssociate's Degree | Vincennes, IN | $35,421 | $12,000 | -185% | Negative payoff |
| 11 | Forsyth Technical Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Winston-Salem, NC | $34,696 | Not available | -199% | Negative payoff |
| 12 | Monroe Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Rochester, NY | $34,473 | Not available | -202% | Negative payoff |
| 13 | New England Institute of TechnologyAssociate's Degree | East Greenwich, RI | $33,442 | $17,576 | -171% | Negative payoff |
| 14 | SAE Institute of Technology-NashvilleAssociate's Degree | Nashville, TN | $33,379 | $20,000 | -183% | Negative payoff |
| 15 | Ohio University-Southern CampusAssociate's Degree | Ironton, OH | $33,312 | Not available | -215% | Negative payoff |
| 16 | Ohio University-Lancaster CampusAssociate's Degree | Lancaster, OH | $33,312 | Not available | -215% | Negative payoff |
| 17 | Ohio University-Main CampusAssociate's Degree | Athens, OH | $33,312 | Not available | -188% | Negative payoff |
| 18 | Ohio University-Zanesville CampusAssociate's Degree | Zanesville, OH | $33,312 | Not available | -215% | Negative payoff |
| 19 | Los Angeles Film SchoolAssociate's Degree | Hollywood, CA | $32,153 | $19,545 | -185% | Negative payoff |
| 20 | Springfield Technical Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Springfield, MA | $31,908 | Not available | -229% | Negative payoff |
| 21 | Cuyahoga Community College DistrictAssociate's Degree | Cleveland, OH | $31,872 | Not available | -233% | Negative payoff |
| 22 | Guilford Technical Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Jamestown, NC | $31,784 | $20,251 | -210% | Negative payoff |
| 23 | Bossier Parish Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Bossier City, LA | $30,298 | $13,110 | -232% | Negative payoff |
| 24 | Atlanta Institute of Music and MediaAssociate's Degree | Duluth, GA | $30,099 | $18,918 | -190% | Negative payoff |
| 25 | Houston City CollegeAssociate's Degree | Houston, TX | $27,069 | $26,992 | -277% | Negative payoff |
| 26 | Colegio de Cinematografia Artes y TelevisionAssociate's Degree | Bayamon, PR | $16,707 | Not available | -404% | Negative payoff |
| 27 | University of Cincinnati-Main CampusAssociate's Degree | Cincinnati, OH | Not available | $12,000 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $25,648 |
| 28 | Cincinnati State Technical and Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Cincinnati, OH | Not available | $13,511 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $4,968 |
| 29 | University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash CollegeAssociate's Degree | Blue Ash, OH | Not available | $12,000 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $16,508 |
| 30 | Suffolk County Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Selden, NY | Not available | $11,500 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $5,258 |
| 31 | Institute of Production and RecordingAssociate's Degree | , | $41,042 | $15,606 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | Not available |
| 32 | SAE Expression CollegeAssociate's Degree | , | $37,593 | $17,669 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | Not available |
| 33 | MediaTech Institute-HoustonAssociate's Degree | , | $36,762 | $20,000 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | Not available |
| 34 | California College of ASUNot currently operating | Los Angeles, CA | $33,360 | $19,000 | -193% | Negative payoff |
| 35 | Columbia Central University-CaguasAssociate's Degree | , | $18,543 | Not available | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | Not available |
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.