ROI Major

Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions at McLennan Community College

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.15

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions degree from McLennan Community College earn a median salary of $36,368 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $39,488. The degree typically pays for itself in 141.6 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 graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$27,311

Typical Career

$36,368

Top Performers

$50,368

Estimated break-even: 141.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$242

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,031. Most students can comfortably afford about a $242 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 0.9x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Texas 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 42.1%
Educational Services 13.3%
Retail Trade 6.4%

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

$39,488

Nominal: $36,368 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% 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).

141.6 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 $23,097 $31,637 $40,484
5 Years After Graduation $27,311 $36,368 $50,368
10 Years After Graduation $32,068 $40,159 $51,458

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 $36,368 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $36,368 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $39,488 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions program at McLennan Community College can expect a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $32,336, rising to $40,204 five years post-graduation. However, by the ten-year mark, the median earnings slightly decrease to $40,113. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $43,652.55, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, the long-term financial outlook remains relatively stable.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 80.5% of them finding employment in this field. This high concentration suggests a strong alignment between the program's training and industry needs. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 131.9 years, indicating a long return on investment. Overall, while the program offers a pathway into a stable industry, potential students should weigh the long-term financial implications against their career aspirations.

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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.