ROI Major

Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions at University of Houston

TX · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 51.15

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions degree from University of Houston earn a median salary of $58,065 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $63,046. The degree typically pays for itself in 8.2 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

$47,119

Typical Career

$58,065

Top Performers

$68,249

Estimated break-even: 8.2 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$387

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,839. Most students can comfortably afford about a $387 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: Educational Services, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Health Care & Social Assistance.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 19.4%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 16.7%
Health Care & Social Assistance 10.3%

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

$63,046

Nominal: $58,065 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).

8.2 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 $34,252 $45,751 $68,363
5 Years After Graduation $47,119 $58,065 $68,249
10 Years After Graduation $58,363 $78,843 $104,398

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 $58,065 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)
= $58,065 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $63,046 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates in Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions from the University of Houston experience a positive earnings trajectory. One year post-graduation, median earnings stand at $45,751, increasing to $58,065 after five years and reaching $78,843 after a decade. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary reflects a national equivalent of $63,045.6, indicating that graduates can expect their earnings to maintain a competitive edge relative to the national average, particularly in the context of Texas's cost of living index of 0.921.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Educational Services (19.4%), Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (16.7%), and Health Care & Social Assistance (10.3%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 8.2 years, suggesting that the investment in a degree can yield significant returns over time. Overall, the career prospects in this field appear promising, with a solid return on investment for graduates in both earnings and industry relevance.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions degree at University of Houston 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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