---
title: Is a Ground Transportation degree worth the debt?
cip: 4902
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 a Ground Transportation degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Certificate**, across **102** colleges (102 of 102 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $38,377 ($33,103 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $6,333 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.17× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $34,946–$42,409 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**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 | $38,377 | $6,333 | 0.17× | 102 | 102/102 |

## Where a Certificate in this field reports the highest early-career pay

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Johnson County Community College (KS) | $84,632 | — |
| Community College of Allegheny County (PA) | $63,716 | — |
| Central Lakes College-Brainerd (MN) | $51,968 | $10,952 |
| Fox Valley Technical College (WI) | $49,181 | — |
| Waukesha County Technical College (WI) | $48,840 | — |
| Hagerstown Community College (MD) | $48,461 | $4,750 |
| Eastern Iowa Community College District (IA) | $46,711 | — |
| Central New Mexico Community College (NM) | $45,355 | — |
| Bevill State Community College (AL) | $45,233 | — |
| Rosedale Technical College (PA) | $44,418 | $3,325 |
| New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Rhode Island (RI) | $44,246 | $6,333 |
| New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Massachusetts (MA) | $44,246 | $6,333 |
| Greenville Technical College (SC) | $43,885 | — |
| Miller-Motte College-Arizona Automotive Institute (AZ) | $42,409 | — |
| Miller-Motte College-Berks Technical Institute (PA) | $42,409 | — |

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/ground-transportation.jsonld` · `/education/fields/ground-transportation.json`