ROI Major

Business Administration and Management at Texas A&M University - Commerce

TX · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.02

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from Texas A&M University - Commerce earn a median salary of $65,291 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $70,891. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.1 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

$48,324

Typical Career

$65,291

Top Performers

$86,821

Estimated break-even: 7.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$435

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,441. Most students can comfortably afford about a $435 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x 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, Manufacturing.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 45.0%
Health Care & Social Assistance 10.0%
Manufacturing 7.2%

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

$70,891

Nominal: $65,291 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).

7.1 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 $35,238 $48,603 $66,891
5 Years After Graduation $48,324 $65,291 $86,821
10 Years After Graduation $57,430 $78,555 $107,156

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 $65,291 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)
= $65,291 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $70,891 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Business Administration and Management program at Texas A&M University - Commerce experience a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $48,603, which increases to $65,291 after five years and reaches $78,555 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $70,891.42 nationally, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive edge in the job market despite regional cost-of-living differences.

The program prepares students for diverse career opportunities, with the top industries being Educational Services (45.0%), Health Care & Social Assistance (10.0%), and Manufacturing (7.2%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is around 7.1 years, suggesting a favorable return on investment for graduates. Overall, the combination of steady salary growth and a variety of employment sectors indicates a solid ROI for students pursuing this degree.

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 Texas A&M University - Commerce 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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