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

Is a Communication Disorders Sciences and Services degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 120 colleges (120 of 120 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$24,726

Graduates only, early career.$26,353 two years out.

Median federal debt

$20,108

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.84×

84% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is under a year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Communication Disorders Sciences and Services report early-career pay between $21,531 and $27,327 — a spread of $5,796 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $21,531 median $24,726 75th pct $27,327

By degree level

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

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Bachelor's 120 colleges $24,726 $20,108 0.84×

Master's 239 colleges $54,912 $41,000 0.79×

Doctoral 29 colleges $70,837 $106,100 1.40×

Professional 6 colleges $66,228 $49,000 0.82×

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

The 15 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.

Nevada State University NV $45,525 $18,581 debt

California Baptist University CA $36,762 $25,625 debt

Stephen F Austin State University TX $36,186 $19,500 debt

California State University-East Bay CA $31,830 —

Biola University CA $31,574 $26,522 debt

University of Maine ME $31,275 $27,000 debt

San Francisco State University CA $31,065 $16,500 debt

California State University-Los Angeles CA $31,028 $11,900 debt

University of Wisconsin-River Falls WI $30,913 $19,500 debt

College of Our Lady of the Elms MA $30,497 $27,000 debt

Southern University and A & M College LA $30,377 $35,124 debt

Southern University Law Center LA $30,377 $35,124 debt

CUNY Lehman College NY $30,172 $8,000 debt

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN $29,804 $16,266 debt

Utah State University UT $29,537 $12,647 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Communication Disorders Sciences and 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