Health and Medical Administrative Services at Pitt Community College

Pitt Community College's health administration certificate commands higher debt than nearly all comparable programs—yet manages to outperform most of them anyway. At $19,637, graduates here borrow almost double the national median for this credential, but their $30,781 first-year earnings land them in the 76th percentile nationally and comfortably above North Carolina's median of $27,644.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.64 means graduates earn enough in their first year to cover about 1.5 times their typical debt—a manageable scenario if they secure full-time positions immediately. Earnings climb modestly to $31,626 by year four, suggesting stable rather than explosive career growth. The real question is whether this premium price point makes sense when Johnston Community College and Forsyth Tech produce similar outcomes with presumably lower debt loads.

For families, this comes down to access and timing. If your student can start working quickly in the region's healthcare administration sector—where Pitt clearly has solid employer connections—the debt becomes reasonable. But if the same certificate is available at lower cost elsewhere in the state, the financial math shifts considerably. The program works, but at a price that demands careful comparison shopping within North Carolina's community college system.