---
title: Is an Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems degree worth the debt?
cip: 5133
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is an Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **3** colleges (3 of 3 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $25,289 ($28,960 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $31,375 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 1.09× a first year's pay


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Certificate | $26,223 | $9,257 | 0.39× | 3 | 3/3 |
| Bachelor's | $25,289 | $31,375 | 1.09× | 3 | 3/3 |
| Master's | $25,845 | $105,778 | 3.97× | 21 | 21/21 |
| Doctoral | $34,686 | $129,910 | 4.34× | 5 | 5/5 |
| Professional | $30,249 | $97,344 | 3.80× | 5 | 5/5 |

## Where an Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The University of Arizona Global Campus (AZ) | $28,875 | $31,375 |
| Metropolitan State University of Denver (CO) | $25,289 | $20,698 |
| Everglades University (FL) | $21,335 | $41,749 |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/alternative-and-complementary-medicine-and-medical-systems.jsonld` · `/education/fields/alternative-and-complementary-medicine-and-medical-systems.json`