Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies at Piedmont Technical College

This program's earnings trajectory should raise immediate concerns: graduates earn $34,517 in their first year but see income **drop** to $30,452 by year four—a 12% decline that runs counter to normal career progression. For context, other South Carolina technical colleges offering this degree see median earnings around $41,730, with top performers like Central Carolina reaching nearly $60,000. Piedmont ranks in just the 25th percentile statewide, meaning three-quarters of comparable programs in SC deliver better outcomes.

The $15,551 in debt sits at the 25th percentile nationally (relatively low), and the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.45 is manageable in isolation. But when your earnings actually shrink over time rather than grow, that initial ratio becomes less meaningful. Nearly half of students here receive Pell grants, suggesting many come from families where financial margin for error is limited.

The critical caveat: this data reflects fewer than 30 graduates, so individual circumstances could skew these numbers significantly. Still, the combination of below-median starting pay, declining earnings, and last-quartile state ranking suggests this particular program struggles to deliver the career outcomes that other SC technical colleges achieve with the same degree. If your child is set on Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, other technical colleges in South Carolina appear to offer considerably stronger returns.