Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians at Frank Phillips College

When you're looking at an estimated $10,263 in debt against potential first-year earnings of $43,602, the financial fundamentals appear workable—that's a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.24, well within manageable territory for a certificate program. But there's an important caveat: both figures are national estimates because this specific program's graduate cohort is too small for the Department of Education to publish actual outcomes.

What we can say is that similar industrial production programs in Texas typically produce stronger results. The state median sits at $48,835 in first-year earnings with slightly lower debt around $9,500. Texas State Technical College, for instance, reports graduates earning $54,068—about $10,000 more than what comparable programs nationally suggest for Frank Phillips. That gap matters when you're evaluating whether this particular school offers competitive training for Texas manufacturing jobs.

The uncertainty here is real. Without reported outcomes for Frank Phillips specifically, you're essentially betting that this program performs roughly like its national peers rather than its higher-earning Texas competitors. For a short-term credential, that might be acceptable if Frank Phillips offers location advantages, industry connections in the Panhandle region, or significantly lower actual costs. But if comparable programs with stronger track records are accessible, those would offer more certainty about return on investment.