Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at Parkland College

Parkland's Allied Health program produces first-year earnings of $36,872—notably below the $40,034 median for similar Illinois programs and trailing peer community colleges like Oakton ($52,161) and South Suburban ($46,568) by substantial margins. While the estimated $16,681 debt burden (based on comparable Illinois programs at similar institutions) keeps the debt-to-earnings ratio manageable at 0.45, the earnings gap is harder to dismiss. Four years out, graduates reach $42,144, which represents solid 14% growth but still lags what many competing programs deliver right from year one.

The competitive disadvantage matters here because allied health credentials are designed for immediate workforce entry, and starting salary differences compound over time. Other community colleges in Illinois are clearly placing graduates into better-paying positions with the same credential. Whether that's due to clinical partnerships, geographic advantages near higher-paying healthcare systems, or program structure isn't clear from the data, but the pattern suggests Parkland graduates are entering the allied health job market at a disadvantage compared to peers across the state.

For families considering this program, the key question is whether Parkland's location or specific advantages justify the earnings trade-off. The debt load won't be crushing, but your child will likely start their career earning $4,000-$15,000 less annually than graduates from other Illinois community colleges with the same degree—a gap that matters when every paycheck counts in those early working years.