ROI Major

Business Administration and Management at Sul Ross State University

TX · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.02

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from Sul Ross State University earn a median salary of $50,129 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $54,429. The degree typically pays for itself in 11.1 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$35,797

Typical Career

$50,129

Top Performers

$65,986

Estimated break-even: 11.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$334

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,177. Most students can comfortably afford about a $334 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x 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: Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance, Public Administration.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 47.4%
Health Care & Social Assistance 11.9%
Public Administration 7.7%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$54,429

Nominal: $50,129 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).

11.1 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 $25,925 $35,466 $48,428
5 Years After Graduation $35,797 $50,129 $65,986
10 Years After Graduation $52,920 $65,986 $84,400

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 $50,129 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)
= $50,129 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $54,429 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 Business Administration and Management from Sul Ross State University experience a positive earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $35,466, increasing to $50,129 after five years and reaching $65,986 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $54,428.88 nationally, indicating that graduates are positioned favorably in the job market relative to their peers across the country, despite the cost of living index in Texas being slightly lower than the national average.

The top industries for graduates include Educational Services (47.4%), Health Care & Social Assistance (11.9%), and Public Administration (7.7%), suggesting a strong alignment with sectors that typically offer stable employment opportunities. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 11.1 years, indicating a reasonable return on investment for those pursuing this degree. Overall, the career prospects and earning potential for Business Administration and Management graduates appear solid, making it a viable option for students considering their future.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Business Administration and Management degree at Sul Ross State University stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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.

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