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ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 5206

Business/Managerial Economics: is this associate's degree worth it?

National picture across 1 reporting college programs.

MODELED SCENARIO · Strong payoff

+$208,294 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.

3.5 yrsModeled economic break-even

+188%Modeled 10-year ROI

$76,881Observed 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

$76,881Median reported earnings · year 4

Not availableAverage reported earnings · year 5

$13,500Median federal debt

94thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential

1Reporting programs

1With 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: $72,971
Federal debt: $21,367
Reporting programs: 1

1 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $76,881
Federal debt: $13,500
Reporting programs: 1

1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $78,906
Federal debt: $21,963
Reporting programs: 96

85 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $112,577
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 3

3 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$76,881National median$76,88175th percentile$76,881

1 programs report year‑4 earnings.

WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Weber State University$76,881

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.

Economics Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1063 · 1 crosswalk linksEconomistsSOC 19-3011 · 1 crosswalk linksFinancial Risk SpecialistsSOC 13-2054 · 1 crosswalk linksManagement AnalystsSOC 13-1111 · 1 crosswalk linksSurvey ResearchersSOC 19-3022 · 1 crosswalk links

BEST COLLEGES FOR BUSINESS/MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS

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	Weber State UniversityAssociate's Degree	Ogden, UT	$76,881	$13,500	+188%	Strong payoff

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.