Associate+10% vs national median418 grads tracked
Design and Applied Arts at Portland Community College
Ranked 18th of 124 associate programs in Design and Applied Arts by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$35,966
middle 50%: $25,699 – $49,475
Median · 5 years out
$47,631
middle 50%: $36,019 – $61,373
Median · 10 years out
$57,208
middle 50%: $40,956 – $77,215
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 graduates from Portland Community College earn a median of $36k in their first year. Ten-year median earnings reach $57k.
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
8.8 yrs
≈ $10,189 total interest
Same major at other universities
Norwalk Community College
$49,513 · 5 yrs out
Dakota County Technical College
$48,878 · 5 yrs out
Austin Community College
$48,617 · 5 yrs out
Tunxis Community College
$48,487 · 5 yrs out
Minneapolis Community and Technical College
$48,066 · 5 yrs out
Nassau Community College
$47,939 · 5 yrs out
Community College of Denver
$47,802 · 5 yrs out
Hennepin Technical College
$47,521 · 5 yrs out
Salt Lake Community College
$47,297 · 5 yrs out
Housatonic Community College
$47,119 · 5 yrs out
Triton College
$46,948 · 5 yrs out
Houston Community College
$46,803 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Portland Community College
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Certificate)
$101,061 · 5 yrs out
Construction Trades (Certificate)
$99,460 · 5 yrs out
Fire Protection (Associate)
$97,859 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate)
$93,265 · 5 yrs out
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Certificate)
$87,244 · 5 yrs out
Construction Trades (Associate)
$85,856 · 5 yrs out
Transportation and Materials Moving (Associate)
$85,137 · 5 yrs out
Air Transportation (Associate)
$85,137 · 5 yrs out
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$84,509 · 5 yrs out
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$84,284 · 5 yrs out
Computer Programming (Certificate)
$79,996 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Associate)
$79,314 · 5 yrs out