ROI Major

Business Administration and Management at Aiken Technical College

SC · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from Aiken Technical College earn a median salary of $44,928 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in SC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $47,193. The degree typically pays for itself in 18.6 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$34,326

Typical Career

$44,928

Top Performers

$60,144

Estimated break-even: 18.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$300

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,744. Most students can comfortably afford about a $300 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.2x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in South Carolina buys what costs $0.95 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Manufacturing, Administrative & Support Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 32.9%
Manufacturing 13.1%
Administrative & Support Services 9.5%

Institution-wide industry mix for graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$47,193

Nominal: $44,928 in South Carolina (COL 95.2% of national avg) · 5% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

18.6 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $25,037 $32,281 $43,047
5 Years After Graduation $34,326 $44,928 $60,144
10 Years After Graduation $35,840 $51,223 $71,441

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $44,928 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in SC, which has a cost-of-living index of 95.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $44,928 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9520) = $47,193 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Business Administration and Management program at Aiken Technical College can expect a median earning of $32,000 one year after graduation, which increases to $40,711 after five years and reaches $44,249 after ten years. When considering purchasing power, the median earnings five years post-graduation adjust to approximately $42,763.66 nationally, reflecting the cost of living in South Carolina, which has a cost-of-living index of 0.952 compared to the national average of 1.0. This indicates that while initial earnings may be lower than the national average, the adjusted figures provide a more realistic view of financial stability.

The primary industries for graduates are predominantly in Health Care & Social Assistance, with 78.3% entering this field. The significant concentration in a single sector suggests that job opportunities may be robust but also limited in diversity. The estimated break-even point for pursuing a degree versus a high school diploma is approximately 37 years, indicating a long-term return on investment. Students should weigh the potential earnings against the time and financial commitment of obtaining a degree, particularly in a market heavily influenced by a specific industry.

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Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.