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Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Williamsburg Technical College

SC · Associate's Degree · CIP 24.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities degree from Williamsburg Technical College earn a median salary of $34,630 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in SC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $36,376. The degree typically pays for itself in 77.2 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

$25,433

Typical Career

$34,630

Top Performers

$50,441

Estimated break-even: 77.2 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$231

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $2,886. Most students can comfortably afford about a $231 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 0.9x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.4x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in South Carolina buys what costs $0.95 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 41.8%
Educational Services 14.3%
Manufacturing 12.1%

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

$36,376

Nominal: $34,630 in South Carolina (COL 95.2% of national avg) · 5% 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).

77.2 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 $21,201 $26,797 $36,368
5 Years After Graduation $25,433 $34,630 $50,441
10 Years After Graduation $28,065 $41,695 $55,935

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 $34,630 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in SC, which has a cost-of-living index of 95.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $34,630 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9520) = $36,376 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities program at Williamsburg Technical College experience a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $26,797, rising to $34,630 after five years, and reaching $41,695 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $36,376.05, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, there is potential for growth in real terms over the long term.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 46.1% employed in this field one year post-graduation, and 41.8% and 23.3% in subsequent years. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 77.2 years, suggesting a long-term return on investment that may be less favorable. This indicates that while the program can lead to stable employment in a growing industry, the financial benefits may take considerable time to materialize.

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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.