ROI Major

Interior Architecture at Miami University

OH · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 04.05

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Interior Architecture degree from Miami University earn a median salary of $64,289 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OH, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $71,353. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.3 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

$49,456

Typical Career

$64,289

Top Performers

$78,561

Estimated break-even: 7.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$429

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,357. Most students can comfortably afford about a $429 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Ohio buys what costs $0.90 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 20.1%
Educational Services 16.3%
Health Care & Social Assistance 12.6%

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

$71,353

Nominal: $64,289 in Ohio (COL 90.1% of national avg) · 11% 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).

7.3 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 $38,069 $47,243 $54,509
5 Years After Graduation $49,456 $64,289 $78,561
10 Years After Graduation $58,363 $80,540 $107,948

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 $64,289 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in OH, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $64,289 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9010) = $71,353 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 Interior Architecture from Miami University can expect a promising earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $47,243, which increases to $64,289 after five years and reaches $80,540 by the ten-year mark. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of approximately $71,352.94, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive edge in terms of real income relative to the national average, especially considering Ohio's lower cost of living index.

The top industries for graduates include Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (20.1%), Educational Services (16.3%), and Health Care & Social Assistance (12.6%). This diverse range of employment sectors suggests a strong demand for interior architecture skills across various fields. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 7.3 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable, allowing graduates to recoup their educational costs while entering a robust job market.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Interior Architecture degree at Miami 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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