ROI Major

Human Resources Management and Services at Georgia Southwestern State University

GA · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.10

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Human Resources Management and Services degree from Georgia Southwestern State University earn a median salary of $50,402 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in GA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $55,693. The degree typically pays for itself in 11.4 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

$40,266

Typical Career

$50,402

Top Performers

$69,346

Estimated break-even: 11.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$336

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,200. Most students can comfortably afford about a $336 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x 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, Health Care & Social Assistance, Finance & Insurance.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 31.0%
Health Care & Social Assistance 22.7%
Finance & Insurance 6.0%

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

$55,693

Nominal: $50,402 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).

11.4 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 $28,326 $36,776 $47,056
5 Years After Graduation $40,266 $50,402 $69,346
10 Years After Graduation $49,399 $63,451 $86,367

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 $50,402 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)
= $50,402 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9050) = $55,693 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Human Resources Management and Services program at Georgia Southwestern State University experience a positive earnings trajectory over time. One year post-graduation, median earnings stand at $36,776, which increases to $50,402 after five years and reaches $63,451 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent to the national average is approximately $55,692.82, indicating that while initial salaries may be modest, the long-term financial outlook is promising, especially considering the lower cost of living index in Georgia.

The top industries that graduates enter include Educational Services (31.0%), Health Care & Social Assistance (22.7%), and Finance & Insurance (6.0%), reflecting a diverse range of opportunities. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 11.4 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in Human Resources Management and Services is favorable. This suggests that, despite the initial costs of education, graduates can expect to achieve financial benefits that justify their investment in higher education over time.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Human Resources Management and Services degree at Georgia Southwestern State 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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