Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at Anne Arundel Community College

Anne Arundel Community College's graduates from this allied health certificate program earn $119,581 in their first year—more than double Maryland's median for this field and nearly triple the national average. That's an extraordinary outcome for a short-term credential, placing it in the 95th percentile both nationally and statewide. While the debt of $23,125 sits above typical community college borrowing, the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.19 means graduates could theoretically pay off their loans in under three months of work. This is the highest-earning allied health certificate program in Maryland by a wide margin, outperforming even Community College of Baltimore County by over $50,000.

What explains these numbers? Anne Arundel likely feeds into high-paying diagnostic roles in the Baltimore-Washington healthcare corridor, possibly including cardiac sonography or nuclear medicine positions that command premium salaries. The moderate sample size (30-100 graduates) suggests consistent outcomes rather than a statistical fluke. For families concerned about certificate programs delivering real value, this represents one of the strongest returns in community college health education.

The math is simple: your child could enter a well-paying healthcare career within a year or two, with debt that's manageable even on a single year's salary. This is exactly what community college credentials should deliver—and Anne Arundel's program clearly does.