Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions at Arapahoe Community College

Arapahoe Community College's medical laboratory science program produces graduates earning $63,746 within a year—impressive for an associate's degree and $15,000 above the national median for this field. However, before getting too excited, note that Colorado only has four schools offering this program, and this one sits at the 60th percentile statewide, meaning graduates at other Colorado schools are earning similar or better salaries. The real story here is how this program compares nationally: it ranks in the 95th percentile, placing it among the top-performing associate's programs in the country for medical lab science.

The debt picture is reasonable at $27,845, translating to a 0.44 debt-to-earnings ratio—graduates owe less than half their first-year salary. This is manageable, though not exceptionally low for a community college program. The bigger concern is the sample size: with fewer than 30 graduates in this data, one or two high earners could be skewing these numbers significantly higher than typical.

If your child is serious about medical laboratory work and can replicate these outcomes, this represents solid workforce training with clear employment prospects. Just recognize that the small cohort makes it harder to guarantee your child will match these earnings, and other Colorado programs might offer comparable or better results. The debt load is worth it if the job materializes, but verify current placement rates before committing.