ROI Major

Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at Waubonsee Community College

IL · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.09

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions degree from Waubonsee Community College earn a median salary of $48,066 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $52,359. The degree typically pays for itself in 14.3 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 graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$38,467

Typical Career

$48,066

Top Performers

$58,734

Estimated break-even: 14.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$320

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,006. Most students can comfortably afford about a $320 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.2x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Illinois buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Manufacturing, Retail Trade.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 24.4%
Manufacturing 11.1%
Retail Trade 9.2%

Institution-wide industry mix for graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$52,359

Nominal: $48,066 in Illinois (COL 91.8% of national avg) · 8.9% 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).

14.3 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 $31,171 $43,879 $58,734
5 Years After Graduation $38,467 $48,066 $58,734
10 Years After Graduation $37,132 $52,636 $73,442

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 $48,066 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IL, which has a cost-of-living index of 91.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $48,066 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $52,359 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at Waubonsee Community College experience a positive earnings trajectory over time. Median earnings one year post-graduation stand at $31,416, which increases to $46,663 after five years and reaches $68,098 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent to the national average is approximately $50,831.15, indicating that graduates can expect their earnings to maintain a competitive edge relative to broader economic conditions.

The primary industries that graduates enter are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, with 36.8%, 26.8%, and 24.4% of graduates finding employment in this sector. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 11.7 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this educational path appears favorable. The consistent demand for skilled professionals in health care suggests a stable career outlook, further enhancing the overall value of this educational pursuit.

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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.