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Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College

IL · Associate's Degree · CIP 24.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities degree from City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College earn a median salary of $44,633 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $48,620. The degree typically pays for itself in 15 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

$32,220

Typical Career

$44,633

Top Performers

$60,790

Estimated break-even: 15 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$298

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,719. Most students can comfortably afford about a $298 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 Illinois buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 20.1%
Educational Services 12.0%
Retail Trade 9.0%

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

$48,620

Nominal: $44,633 in Illinois (COL 91.8% of national avg) · 8.9% 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).

15 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 $22,416 $30,983 $43,817
5 Years After Graduation $32,220 $44,633 $60,790
10 Years After Graduation $40,593 $57,372 $77,120

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 $44,633 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IL, which has a cost-of-living index of 91.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $44,633 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $48,620 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities program at City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College experience a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $30,983, which rises to $44,633 after five years and reaches $57,372 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $48,619.83, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, there is potential for growth in real income over the long term.

The primary industries for graduates include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 25.8% of employment, followed by another segment of Health Care & Social Assistance at 20.1%, and Accommodation & Food Services at 18.0%. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 15 years, suggesting that while the return on investment may take time, the diverse opportunities in growing sectors can provide a solid foundation for career development. Overall, students should weigh the long-term benefits against the initial earnings when considering this educational path.

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See how the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities degree at City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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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.