Associate-2% vs national median199 grads tracked
Design and Applied Arts at Kirkwood Community College
Ranked 47th of 124 associate programs in Design and Applied Arts by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$35,424
middle 50%: $28,292 – $45,557
Median · 5 years out
$42,527
middle 50%: $32,254 – $54,709
Median · 10 years out
$48,487
middle 50%: $40,037 – $59,211
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Design and Applied Arts (associate) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Design and Applied Arts associates from Kirkwood Community College earn a median of $35k initially. Median pay increases to $43k by the five-year mark.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.
Will the degree pay for itself?
Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.
Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).
Paid off in
9.8 yrs
≈ $11,268 total interest
Same major at other universities
Elgin Community College
$43,820 · 5 yrs out
Utah Valley University
$43,722 · 5 yrs out
Des Moines Area Community College
$43,216 · 5 yrs out
Central Lakes College
$43,047 · 5 yrs out
North Hennepin Community College
$43,047 · 5 yrs out
SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
$42,822 · 5 yrs out
CUNY LaGuardia Community College
$42,273 · 5 yrs out
Springfield Technical Community College
$41,844 · 5 yrs out
Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana - Region 13
$41,624 · 5 yrs out
Northern Essex Community College
$41,382 · 5 yrs out
Saint Louis Community College
$41,379 · 5 yrs out
Cuyahoga Community College
$41,262 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Kirkwood Community College
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services (Certificate)
$85,664 · 5 yrs out
Fire Protection (Certificate)
$83,557 · 5 yrs out
Computer Programming (Certificate)
$76,958 · 5 yrs out
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$67,675 · 5 yrs out
Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$67,570 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate)
$67,528 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Certificate)
$65,511 · 5 yrs out
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies (Associate)
$65,458 · 5 yrs out
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Associate)
$65,458 · 5 yrs out
Computer Programming (Associate)
$65,062 · 5 yrs out
Fire Protection (Associate)
$65,062 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Associate)
$64,578 · 5 yrs out