ROI Major

Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management at Texas A&M University

TX · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 31.03

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management degree from Texas A&M University earn a median salary of $57,489 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $62,420. The degree typically pays for itself in 8.9 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

$43,297

Typical Career

$57,489

Top Performers

$79,921

Estimated break-even: 8.9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$383

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,791. Most students can comfortably afford about a $383 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 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

$62,420

Nominal: $57,489 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).

8.9 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 $27,518 $40,342 $50,601
5 Years After Graduation $43,297 $57,489 $79,921
10 Years After Graduation $55,294 $74,236 $105,955

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 $57,489 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)
= $57,489 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $62,420 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates in Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management from Texas A&M University experience a positive earnings trajectory. One year post-graduation, median earnings stand at $40,342, increasing to $57,489 after five years and reaching $74,236 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $62,420.2, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive financial standing relative to their peers across the country despite a lower cost of living index 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%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 8.9 years, suggesting a reasonable return on investment for those pursuing this degree. Overall, the career prospects in this field appear promising, with diverse opportunities and a solid earnings potential over time.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management 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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