ROI Major

Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (The)

TX · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 51.10

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions degree from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (The) earn a median salary of $75,444 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $81,915. The degree typically pays for itself in 4.6 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

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

$63,808

Typical Career

$75,444

Top Performers

$89,353

Estimated break-even: 4.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$503

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,287. Most students can comfortably afford about a $503 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.9x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.0x 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, Manufacturing.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 57.1%
Educational Services 14.8%
Manufacturing 6.1%

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

$81,915

Nominal: $75,444 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).

4.6 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 $59,353 $70,261 $79,635
5 Years After Graduation $63,808 $75,444 $89,353
10 Years After Graduation $74,301 $90,582 $114,494

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 $75,444 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)
= $75,444 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $81,915 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center experience a positive earnings trajectory. One year after graduation, median earnings stand at $70,261, which increases to $75,444 after five years and reaches $90,582 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $81,915.31, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive edge in earnings relative to national averages, especially considering Texas's lower cost of living index.

The primary industries that graduates enter are Health Care & Social Assistance (57.1%), Educational Services (14.8%), and Manufacturing (6.1%). This distribution suggests a strong alignment with sectors that are essential and growing, providing stability and opportunities for advancement. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 4.6 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable, making it a viable option for students seeking long-term career benefits in a robust job market.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions degree at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (The) 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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