---
title: Is a Human Services, General degree worth the debt?
cip: 4400
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 Human Services, General degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **77** colleges (77 of 77 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $32,737 ($31,585 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $24,650 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.74× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $30,127–$36,352 — 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Associate's | $25,670 | $21,000 | 0.85× | 46 | 46/46 |
| Bachelor's | $32,737 | $24,650 | 0.74× | 77 | 77/77 |
| Master's | $43,301 | $40,503 | 0.89× | 18 | 18/18 |

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

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Elizabethtown College (PA) | $43,564 | — |
| St. Joseph's University-New York (NY) | $40,926 | $25,000 |
| Cambridge College (MA) | $39,918 | $25,000 |
| University of Baltimore (MD) | $39,825 | $29,250 |
| Northeastern University (MA) | $39,653 | $23,250 |
| Northeastern University Professional Programs (MA) | $39,653 | $23,250 |
| CUNY New York City College of Technology (NY) | $38,920 | $8,025 |
| Chestnut Hill College (PA) | $38,478 | $25,000 |
| Metropolitan State University (MN) | $38,017 | $16,547 |
| University of Nevada-Las Vegas (NV) | $37,830 | $22,391 |
| Post University (CT) | $37,239 | $45,694 |
| Metropolitan State University of Denver (CO) | $36,960 | $21,084 |
| Ottawa University-Phoenix | $36,858 | $24,300 |
| Ottawa University-Ottawa (KS) | $36,858 | $24,300 |
| Ottawa University-Kansas City (KS) | $36,858 | $24,300 |

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/human-services-general.jsonld` · `/education/fields/human-services-general.json`