Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at Community College of Allegheny County

Community College of Allegheny County's graduates earn about $38,800 four years out, landing them squarely above Pennsylvania's median for medical assisting programs but roughly in the middle nationally. What makes this particularly relevant: PA's median for this credential sits unusually low at $33,000, meaning CCAC outperforms most in-state options by a meaningful margin—ranking in the 60th percentile statewide. For families focused on keeping costs down through in-state community college tuition, this represents decent execution of that strategy.

The debt picture is manageable at just under $20,000, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.55 that most graduates can reasonably handle. Earnings grow modestly from year one to year four (about 7%), suggesting stable employment rather than dramatic income progression. This isn't the career path for someone chasing six-figure salaries—even Pennsylvania's top program, Widener, only reaches $62,000—but it provides steady healthcare employment in a region with robust medical institutions.

The bottom line: if your student wants healthcare work without a bachelor's degree and plans to stay in Pennsylvania, CCAC delivers better outcomes than most comparable programs in the state. Just understand that medical assisting has earnings ceilings built in, and this associate's degree performs as expected within those limits. The investment makes sense if the goal is stable employment with reasonable debt, not career acceleration.