ROI Major

Business Administration and Management at Georgia Southern University

GA · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.02

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from Georgia Southern University earn a median salary of $66,641 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in GA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $73,636. The degree typically pays for itself in 7 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

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

$49,694

Typical Career

$66,641

Top Performers

$86,240

Estimated break-even: 7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$444

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,553. Most students can comfortably afford about a $444 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.9x 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: Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 20.4%
Educational Services 20.0%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 9.8%

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

$73,636

Nominal: $66,641 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).

7 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 $35,073 $47,583 $59,937
5 Years After Graduation $49,694 $66,641 $86,240
10 Years After Graduation $56,487 $77,791 $106,941

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 $66,641 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)
= $66,641 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9050) = $73,636 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates with a degree in Business Administration and Management from Georgia Southern University can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $47,583, which increases to $66,641 five years later and reaches $77,791 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $73,636.46, indicating that graduates can maintain a competitive salary relative to national standards despite the cost of living index in Georgia being lower than the national average.

The top industries for graduates include Health Care & Social Assistance (20.4%), Educational Services (20.0%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (9.8%). With an estimated break-even point of approximately seven years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable. Graduates are likely to find stable employment opportunities in these sectors, contributing to a solid career foundation and financial growth over time.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Business Administration and Management degree at Georgia Southern 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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