ROI Major

Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services at Texas A&M University

TX · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 01.06

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services degree from Texas A&M University earn a median salary of $60,705 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $65,912. 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$46,271

Typical Career

$60,705

Top Performers

$76,775

Estimated break-even: 8.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$405

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,059. Most students can comfortably afford about a $405 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.6x 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: Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 18.5%
Educational Services 17.4%
Health Care & Social Assistance 10.0%

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

$65,912

Nominal: $60,705 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).

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 $30,874 $41,705 $52,954
5 Years After Graduation $46,271 $60,705 $76,775
10 Years After Graduation $52,379 $74,920 $101,671

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 $60,705 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)
= $60,705 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $65,912 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates in Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services from Texas A&M University experience a positive earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $41,705, which increases to $60,705 five years post-graduation and reaches $74,920 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median five-year salary is approximately $65,912.05, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive financial standing relative to national averages despite the lower cost of living in Texas.

The top industries for graduates include Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (18.5%), Educational Services (17.4%), and Health Care & Social Assistance (10.0%). With an estimated break-even point of approximately 8.3 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable. Graduates can expect to enter diverse fields, enhancing their career prospects and financial stability over time.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services degree at Texas A&M 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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