ROI Major

Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas at Eastern Oregon University

OR · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 13.13

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas degree from Eastern Oregon University earn a median salary of $57,265 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OR, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $50,101. The degree typically pays for itself in 9.9 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

$42,853

Typical Career

$57,265

Top Performers

$67,782

Estimated break-even: 9.9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$382

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,772. Most students can comfortably afford about a $382 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.5x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Oregon buys what costs $1.14 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 27.2%
Health Care & Social Assistance 15.2%
Public Administration 12.4%

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

$50,101

Nominal: $57,265 in Oregon (COL 114.3% of national avg) · 12.5% lower 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).

9.9 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 $26,045 $35,298 $56,235
5 Years After Graduation $42,853 $57,265 $67,782
10 Years After Graduation $52,636 $66,937 $86,507

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 $57,265 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in OR, which has a cost-of-living index of 114.3% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $57,265 × (1.0 ÷ 1.1430) = $50,101 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Teacher Education program at Eastern Oregon University experience a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $35,298, which increases to $57,265 after five years and reaches $66,937 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary reflects a national equivalent of $50,100.61, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, the long-term financial outlook is promising, especially considering the cost of living index in Oregon is higher than the national average.

The top industries for graduates include Educational Services (27.2%), Health Care & Social Assistance (15.2%), and Public Administration (12.4%), suggesting a strong alignment with public sector employment opportunities. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 9.9 years, indicating that while the initial investment in education may take time to recoup, the potential for higher earnings and job stability in these sectors presents a favorable return on investment for those pursuing a career in education.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas degree at Eastern Oregon University 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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