ROI Major

Animal Sciences at Berry College

GA · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 01.09

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Animal Sciences degree from Berry College earn a median salary of $51,591 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in GA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $57,007. The degree typically pays for itself in 9.6 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$36,215

Typical Career

$51,591

Top Performers

$79,409

Estimated break-even: 9.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$344

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,299. Most students can comfortably afford about a $344 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Georgia buys what costs $0.91 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Educational Services, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Health Care & Social Assistance.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 21.6%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 16.7%
Health Care & Social Assistance 16.3%

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

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$57,007

Nominal: $51,591 in Georgia (COL 90.5% of national avg) · 10.5% 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).

9.6 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 $23,677 $29,078 $35,966
5 Years After Graduation $36,215 $51,591 $79,409
10 Years After Graduation $53,343 $84,822 $121,240

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 $51,591 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in GA, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.5% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $51,591 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9050) = $57,007 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Animal Sciences program at Berry College experience a positive earnings trajectory over time. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $29,078, which increases significantly to $51,591 after five years and reaches $84,822 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $57,006.63, indicating that graduates' earnings are competitive relative to national standards, particularly given Georgia's lower cost of living index of 0.905 compared to the national average.

The top industries for Animal Sciences graduates include Educational Services (21.6%), Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (16.7%), and Health Care & Social Assistance (16.3%). This diverse range of sectors suggests that graduates have various career paths available to them, enhancing their employability. The estimated break-even point of approximately 9.6 years compared to a high-school-only path indicates a reasonable return on investment for pursuing this degree, as graduates can expect to recoup their educational expenses within a decade while benefiting from higher long-term earnings.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Animal Sciences degree at Berry College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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.

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