ROI Major

Dental Support Services and Allied Professions at Northeast Texas Community College

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.06

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Dental Support Services and Allied Professions degree from Northeast Texas Community College earn a median salary of $68,022 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $73,857. The degree typically pays for itself in 6.1 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 graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$52,636

Typical Career

$68,022

Top Performers

$85,532

Estimated break-even: 6.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$453

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,669. Most students can comfortably afford about a $453 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.8x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.9x 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, Manufacturing.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 34.9%
Educational Services 17.3%
Manufacturing 8.0%

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

$73,857

Nominal: $68,022 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).

6.1 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 $43,835 $58,659 $72,728
5 Years After Graduation $52,636 $68,022 $85,532
10 Years After Graduation $58,032 $67,394 $82,749

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 $68,022 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)
= $68,022 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $73,857 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Dental Support Services and Allied Professions program at Northeast Texas Community College can expect a solid earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $58,659, which increases to $68,022 five years post-graduation. However, by the ten-year mark, earnings slightly decrease to $67,394. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary reflects a national equivalent of $73,856.68, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive financial standing relative to national averages despite the cost of living in Texas being lower than the national index.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 34.9% of placements, followed by another segment of the same industry at 28.9%, and Educational Services at 17.3%. This concentration in health-related fields suggests a strong demand for skills acquired in the program. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 6.1 years compared to a high school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this program appears favorable, particularly given the stability and growth potential in the health care sector.

Compare with Another School

See how the Dental Support Services and Allied Professions degree at Northeast Texas Community College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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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.