Design and Applied Arts at Palm Beach State College

Palm Beach State's Design and Applied Arts associate's stands out with first-year earnings of $36,768—well above both the national median ($27,846) and the Florida average ($30,906) for this credential. That's the 94th percentile nationally, putting graduates ahead of nearly all comparable programs across the country. Based on national patterns for similar associate's degrees, students typically borrow around $13,625, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.37—meaning graduates could potentially pay off their loans with about 37% of their first year's income.

The challenge with this program is that we're working with estimated debt rather than actual figures for Palm Beach State graduates, and the earnings data, while strong, comes from a small graduate cohort (hence the data suppression). Still, the earnings advantage is substantial: graduates here are making roughly $4,000 more than peers at nearby Seminole State and $6,000 more than the typical Florida program. If the estimated debt holds true, the financial picture looks considerably better than the Florida median debt of $26,757.

For parents of students interested in applied arts, this program's earnings performance suggests it's delivering meaningful workforce connections. The key uncertainty is whether individual graduates will match these outcomes—with small cohorts, results can vary significantly year to year. But the combination of community college affordability and above-average earnings potential makes this worth serious consideration.