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

Is a Community Organization and Advocacy degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 22 colleges (22 of 22 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$32,728

Graduates only, early career.$34,586 two years out.

Median federal debt

$23,302

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.64×

64% 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 Community Organization and Advocacy report early-career pay between $29,969 and $38,294 — a spread of $8,325 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $29,969 median $32,728 75th pct $38,294

By degree level

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

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Associate's 6 colleges $27,236 $12,855 0.56×

Bachelor's 22 colleges $32,728 $23,302 0.64×

Master's 11 colleges $43,709 $41,000 0.94×

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.

Northwestern University IL $65,015 $13,500 debt

Central Michigan University MI $41,663 $26,500 debt

Metropolitan College of New York NY $41,131 $42,500 debt

Empire State University NY $38,496 $19,000 debt

University of Phoenix-Arizona AZ $38,488 $43,997 debt

University of Phoenix-California $38,488 $43,997 debt

Springfield College MA $37,713 $23,302 debt

Springfield College-Regional Online and Continuing Education MA $37,713 $23,302 debt

Siena Heights University MI $34,516 $15,625 debt

Providence College RI $33,803 —

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh WI $33,146 $22,000 debt

Rasmussen University-Minnesota MN $32,311 —

California State University-Dominguez Hills CA $32,068 $16,250 debt

Boricua College NY $32,040 $7,407 debt

Grand Canyon University AZ $31,651 $36,645 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Community Organization and Advocacy, 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