ROI Major

Business Administration and Management at Saint Paul College - A Community & Technical College

MN · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from Saint Paul College - A Community & Technical College earn a median salary of $56,406 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $59,943. The degree typically pays for itself in 8.3 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 graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$41,695

Typical Career

$56,406

Top Performers

$77,744

Estimated break-even: 8.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$376

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,701. Most students can comfortably afford about a $376 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.5x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Minnesota buys what costs $0.94 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 35.0%
Educational Services 8.6%
Manufacturing 6.7%

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

$59,943

Nominal: $56,406 in Minnesota (COL 94.1% of national avg) · 6.3% 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).

8.3 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 $34,222 $49,855 $64,666
5 Years After Graduation $41,695 $56,406 $77,744
10 Years After Graduation $62,446 $73,958 $94,389

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 $56,406 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in MN, which has a cost-of-living index of 94.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $56,406 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9410) = $59,943 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Business Administration and Management program at Saint Paul College can expect a positive earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $49,855, increasing to $56,406 after five years, and reaching $73,958 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $59,942.61, reflecting a competitive position in the job market despite the cost-of-living index in Minnesota being slightly lower than the national average.

The program prepares graduates for diverse career opportunities, with a significant portion entering the Health Care & Social Assistance (35.0%) and Construction (29.2%) sectors. The estimated break-even point compared to a high school-only path is approximately 8.3 years, indicating a reasonable return on investment for those pursuing this degree. Overall, the combination of earnings potential and industry demand suggests that a degree in Business Administration and Management from Saint Paul College can provide a solid foundation for a successful career.

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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.