Health and Medical Administrative Services at Northwood Technical College

Northwood Technical College's certificate program gets graduates earning nearly $8,000 more than the national median for this field—placing it in the 95th percentile nationally. But Wisconsin's healthcare administrative training is unusually strong, and this program sits near the middle of the pack statewide at the 60th percentile. The $35,796 first-year earnings trail schools like Madison Area Tech by $7,000, though they still clear the Wisconsin median comfortably.

The financial equation works cleanly here: debt averages just $10,534, translating to a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.29. That's roughly four months of gross income, making the credential affordable even as earnings dip to $33,261 by year four. That backward slide matters—graduates are earning less four years out than at the start—but the modest debt load means this isn't a crisis. Compare that to the state's $14,924 median debt for similar programs, and Northwood looks prudent.

For Wisconsin families, this is a solid in-state option that won't leave graduates overleveraged, even if it doesn't match the earning power of the state's top technical colleges. The program delivers reliable entry into healthcare administration without the debt burden that could make that earnings decline problematic. Just understand you're paying for accessibility and reasonable debt rather than premium outcomes.