Information Science/Studies at Gaston College

For an associate's degree in information science, comparable programs nationally suggest first-year earnings around $38,900 with debt near $13,100—a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.34 that falls well within manageable territory. This field typically opens doors to IT support roles, help desk positions, and database administration work, where technical skills matter more than where you earned your credentials.

The challenge with Gaston College's program is that we're working entirely from estimates based on peer institutions—the school itself hasn't had enough recent graduates for the DOE to report actual outcomes. While the national benchmarks suggest a reasonable financial proposition (you'd be borrowing roughly four months of expected salary), there's no way to know if Gaston's specific curriculum, connections with Charlotte-area employers, or student support systems produce similar results. Information science jobs are abundant in North Carolina's growing tech corridors, but actual placement rates and starting salaries for this program remain unknown.

Given the lack of program-specific data, your best move is contacting Gaston's career services directly for placement information: where do graduates actually land jobs, and what are they earning? The estimated numbers suggest a viable path, but you'd want confirmation that this particular program delivers before committing.