ROI Major

Chemistry at University of Texas at Tyler

TX · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 40.05

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Chemistry degree from University of Texas at Tyler earn a median salary of $64,138 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $69,640. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.6 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

$48,715

Typical Career

$64,138

Top Performers

$88,005

Estimated break-even: 7.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$428

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,345. Most students can comfortably afford about a $428 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: Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 30.0%
Educational Services 24.9%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 7.8%

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

$69,640

Nominal: $64,138 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).

7.6 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 $33,905 $45,451 $58,609
5 Years After Graduation $48,715 $64,138 $88,005
10 Years After Graduation $57,867 $72,585 $124,613

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 $64,138 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)
= $64,138 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $69,640 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates with a Chemistry degree from the University of Texas at Tyler experience a positive earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $45,451, rising to $64,138 after five years, and reaching $72,585 a decade post-graduation. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of approximately $69,639.52, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive edge in real income relative to national averages, despite the cost of living index in Texas being lower than the national average.

The primary industries that Chemistry graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance (30.0%), Educational Services (24.9%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (7.8%). With an estimated break-even point of about 7.6 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a Chemistry degree appears favorable. This suggests that graduates can expect to recoup their educational costs within a reasonable timeframe while entering diverse and growing fields.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Chemistry degree at University of Texas at Tyler 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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