ROI Major

Biology, General at Navarro College

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 26.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Biology, General degree from Navarro College earn a median salary of $37,132 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $40,317. The degree typically pays for itself in 17.2 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

$27,020

Typical Career

$37,132

Top Performers

$44,700

Estimated break-even: 17.2 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$248

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,094. Most students can comfortably afford about a $248 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.0x 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 29.9%
Educational Services 18.5%
Retail Trade 7.8%

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

$40,317

Nominal: $37,132 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).

17.2 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 $23,078 $29,807 $37,592
5 Years After Graduation $27,020 $37,132 $44,700
10 Years After Graduation $40,883 $56,877 $70,298

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 $37,132 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)
= $37,132 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $40,317 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 Biology, General from Navarro College can expect a median earning of $29,807 one year post-graduation, which increases to $37,132 after five years and reaches $56,877 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $40,317.05 nationally, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, there is a significant upward trajectory in earnings over time, particularly when considering the cost of living in Texas, which is lower than the national average.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 34.2% of placements, followed closely by another segment of Health Care & Social Assistance at 29.9%, and Educational Services at 18.5%. The estimated break-even point for pursuing a degree versus a high-school-only path is approximately 17.2 years, suggesting that while the initial investment in education may take time to pay off, the long-term benefits in terms of career opportunities and earning potential in these growing sectors can be substantial.

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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.