Education Atlas

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

Is a Human Computer Interaction degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 3 colleges (3 of 3 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after
$34,168

Graduates only, early career.$36,848 two years out.

Median federal debt
$27,000

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay
0.79×

79% of a first year's earnings.

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

By degree level

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

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay
Bachelor's 3 colleges $34,168 $27,000 0.79×
Master's 6 colleges $78,378 $54,378 0.61×

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

The 3 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.

Stony Brook University NY $44,369 $19,500 debt
DigiPen Institute of Technology WA $34,168 $27,000 debt
Full Sail University FL $25,032 $32,233 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Human Computer Interaction, 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