ROI Major

Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at Southeast Technical College

SD · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.09

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions degree from Southeast Technical College earn a median salary of $76,375 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in SD, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $81,423. The degree typically pays for itself in 4.6 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

$61,708

Typical Career

$76,375

Top Performers

$91,421

Estimated break-even: 4.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$509

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,365. Most students can comfortably afford about a $509 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.0x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.0x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in South Dakota buys what costs $0.94 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 23.9%
Finance & Insurance 12.7%
Manufacturing 11.0%

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

$81,423

Nominal: $76,375 in South Dakota (COL 93.8% of national avg) · 6.6% 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).

4.6 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 $54,862 $69,628 $82,468
5 Years After Graduation $61,708 $76,375 $91,421
10 Years After Graduation $63,220 $81,058 $100,544

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 $76,375 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in SD, which has a cost-of-living index of 93.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $76,375 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9380) = $81,423 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at Southeast Technical College experience a steady earnings trajectory. One year post-graduation, median earnings are reported at $42,732.00, increasing to $47,526.00 after five years, and reaching $49,804.00 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $50,667.38, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive income relative to national standards despite the cost of living index in South Dakota being slightly lower than the national average.

The primary industries for graduates are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, accounting for 45.7% and 23.9% of employment, followed by Finance & Insurance at 12.7%. The estimated break-even point for those pursuing this educational path versus a high school-only route is approximately 16.6 years, suggesting a long-term return on investment for graduates. Overall, the data indicates a favorable outlook for career advancement and financial stability within these sectors.

Compare with Another School

See how the Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions degree at Southeast Technical 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.