ROI Major

Social Work at University of Texas of the Permian Basin

TX · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 44.07

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Social Work degree from University of Texas of the Permian Basin earn a median salary of $51,851 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $56,299. The degree typically pays for itself in 9.9 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

$42,660

Typical Career

$51,851

Top Performers

$64,930

Estimated break-even: 9.9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$346

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,321. Most students can comfortably afford about a $346 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x 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, Health Care & Social Assistance, Mining, Quarrying & Oil/Gas Extraction.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 35.4%
Health Care & Social Assistance 13.4%
Mining, Quarrying & Oil/Gas Extraction 7.7%

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

$56,299

Nominal: $51,851 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).

9.9 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 $37,511 $45,615 $58,609
5 Years After Graduation $42,660 $51,851 $64,930
10 Years After Graduation $52,872 $65,986 $75,158

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 $51,851 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)
= $51,851 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $56,299 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates in Social Work from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin can expect a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $45,615, which increases to $51,851 five years post-graduation and reaches $65,986 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $56,298.59, indicating that graduates may experience a relatively stable financial outlook in the context of Texas's cost of living, which is lower than the national average.

The top industries for graduates reveal a strong alignment with their field of study, with 35.4% entering Educational Services and 13.4% in Health Care & Social Assistance. Additionally, 7.7% find opportunities in Mining, Quarrying & Oil/Gas Extraction. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 9.9 years, suggesting that while the initial investment in education may take nearly a decade to recoup, the long-term benefits in earnings and job stability in relevant sectors can provide a favorable return on investment for graduates.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Social Work degree at University of Texas of the Permian Basin 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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