Dental Support Services and Allied Professions at Community College of Baltimore County

First-year earnings of $62,255 put this program well above both Maryland and national medians for dental support programs, landing in the 79th percentile nationally. While the debt figure of $17,080 is estimated from comparable community college programs nationwide (since this school's graduate cohort was too small for the DOE to report), that ratio would work out to just 0.27—meaning graduates could theoretically pay off their debt with roughly three months of first-year earnings. Among Maryland's nine dental support programs, CCBC ranks competitively, trailing only Fortis College-Landover but ahead of several alternatives.

The downside is the earnings trajectory: income actually drops 6% by year four, falling to $58,435. This pattern is unusual but not unheard of in dental support roles, where entry-level positions sometimes offer better pay than what follows if graduates don't advance into higher-credential positions or specialized practice settings. Whether this reflects actual career progression for CCBC graduates or just sampling variation in the DOE data is impossible to know from these numbers alone.

For a parent, the key question is whether your child plans to use this associate degree as a stopping point or a stepping stone. If they'll enter the workforce immediately, the strong starting salary and manageable estimated debt make this a solid value play. But if earnings truly plateau or decline, staying in the field long-term may require additional credentials or strategic job moves to maintain income growth.