ROI Major

Hospitality Administration/Management at Utah Valley University

UT · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.09

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Hospitality Administration/Management degree from Utah Valley University earn a median salary of $56,334 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in UT, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $54,429. The degree typically pays for itself in 10.1 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

$45,075

Typical Career

$56,334

Top Performers

$70,012

Estimated break-even: 10.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$376

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,695. Most students can comfortably afford about a $376 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 Utah buys what costs $1.04 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 15.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance 14.2%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 13.9%

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

$54,429

Nominal: $56,334 in Utah (COL 103.5% of national avg) · 3.4% 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).

10.1 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 $31,555 $41,630 $54,051
5 Years After Graduation $45,075 $56,334 $70,012
10 Years After Graduation $37,592 $61,332 $91,987

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 $56,334 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in UT, which has a cost-of-living index of 103.5% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $56,334 × (1.0 ÷ 1.0350) = $54,429 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates with a degree in Hospitality Administration/Management from Utah Valley University can expect a steady earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $41,630, increasing to $56,334 after five years, and reaching $61,332 a decade post-graduation. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median five-year salary is approximately $54,428.99, which reflects the cost of living in Utah, where the COL index is 1.035 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The top industries for graduates include Educational Services (15.9%), Health Care & Social Assistance (14.2%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (13.9%). The estimated break-even point for those pursuing this degree versus a high school-only path is approximately 10.1 years. This suggests that while the initial investment in education may take over a decade to recoup, the long-term benefits in terms of earnings and career opportunities in diverse sectors may provide a favorable return on investment.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Hospitality Administration/Management degree at Utah Valley University 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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