Education Atlas

College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a Business Operations Support and Assistant Services degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 6 colleges (6 of 6 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after
$22,486

Graduates only, early career.$19,227 two years out.

Median federal debt
$19,003

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay
1.16×

116% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt roughly equals or exceeds a first year's pay — weigh the time-to-payoff.

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay
Certificate 97 colleges $20,416 $9,379 0.40×
Associate's 78 colleges $25,832 $19,950 0.75×
Bachelor's 6 colleges $22,486 $19,003 1.16×

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

The 6 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

Bellevue University NE $53,185 $18,750 debt
East Carolina University NC $47,282
Valdosta State University GA $31,365 $34,937 debt
University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla PR $8,269 $10,000 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Business Operations Support and Assistant Services, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard