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Health Professions and Related Programs — CIP 51.39 at Northeastern Technical College

SC · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.39

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Health Professions and Related Programs — CIP 51.39 degree from Northeastern Technical College earn a median salary of $48,208 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in SC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $50,639. The degree typically pays for itself in 14.8 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

$40,765

Typical Career

$48,208

Top Performers

$57,105

Estimated break-even: 14.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$321

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,017. Most students can comfortably afford about a $321 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.2x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in South Carolina buys what costs $0.95 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Manufacturing, Public Administration.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 62.6%
Manufacturing 13.1%
Public Administration 4.2%

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

$50,639

Nominal: $48,208 in South Carolina (COL 95.2% of national avg) · 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).

14.8 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 $30,627 $38,814 $46,147
5 Years After Graduation $40,765 $48,208 $57,105
10 Years After Graduation $42,235 $53,279 $68,891

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 $48,208 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in SC, which has a cost-of-living index of 95.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $48,208 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9520) = $50,639 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from Health Professions and Related Programs at Northeastern Technical College can expect a positive earnings trajectory, with median earnings of $38,814 one year after graduation, increasing to $48,208 after five years, and reaching $53,279 by the ten-year mark. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $50,638.66, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive edge in terms of real income relative to national standards, despite the cost of living index in South Carolina being slightly lower than the national average.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which employs 62.6% of graduates, and Manufacturing, attracting 35.1%. With 29.4% also remaining in Health Care & Social Assistance, it is clear that the program prepares students for stable employment in essential sectors. Considering the estimated break-even point of approximately 14.8 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this program appears favorable, particularly given the consistent demand for skilled professionals in health-related fields.

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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.