ROI Major

Business Operations Support and Assistant Services at University of Hawaii Maui College

HI · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.04

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Operations Support and Assistant Services degree from University of Hawaii Maui College earn a median salary of $43,820 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in HI, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $23,815. The degree typically pays for itself in 16.3 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 graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$35,649

Typical Career

$43,820

Top Performers

$55,078

Estimated break-even: 16.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$292

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,652. Most students can comfortably afford about a $292 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Hawaii buys what costs $1.84 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Accommodation & Food Services, Educational Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 36.4%
Accommodation & Food Services 16.7%
Educational Services 9.1%

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

$23,815

Nominal: $43,820 in Hawaii (COL 184.0% of national avg) · 45.7% lower 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).

16.3 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 $28,584 $36,956 $45,300
5 Years After Graduation $35,649 $43,820 $55,078
10 Years After Graduation $39,998 $53,578 $67,570

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 $43,820 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in HI, which has a cost-of-living index of 184.0% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $43,820 × (1.0 ÷ 1.8400) = $23,815 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Business Operations Support and Assistant Services program at University of Hawaii Maui College experience a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $34,107, rising to $43,979 five years post-graduation, and reaching $47,939 after ten years. However, when adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $23,901.63 nationally, indicating that while nominal earnings grow, the real value may be impacted by the higher cost of living in Hawaii, where the cost-of-living index is 1.84 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The program's graduates predominantly enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, which accounts for 36.4% and 34.7% of employment, followed by Accommodation & Food Services at 22.3%. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to individuals with only a high school diploma is approximately 22.7 years, suggesting a long-term return on investment. While the program offers a pathway into stable industries, prospective students should consider the extended time frame required to achieve financial parity with high school graduates.

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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.