Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Prince George's Community College

Prince George's Community College's Liberal Arts associate's delivers something unusual: earnings that actually climb significantly over time, reaching $44,768 by year four—a 43% jump that puts real distance between graduates and the typical community college plateau. Among Maryland's 18 similar programs, this ranks at the 60th percentile, and it substantially outperforms the state median of $26,448. Nationally, it's even more impressive, landing in the 79th percentile against 1,493 programs.

The tradeoff is slightly higher debt than typical for this field—$13,499 versus Maryland's $10,200 median—though the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.43 remains manageable, especially given where earnings end up by year four. That extra $3,000 in borrowing looks justified when graduates are earning $18,000 more than the state median just one year out. The robust sample size (100+ graduates) confirms these aren't anomalous results.

For families considering this program, the numbers suggest Prince George's has built genuine workforce connections or transfer pathways that keep paying off. While it won't match what Baltimore City Community College delivers ($41,120), it clearly provides more career momentum than a typical liberal arts associate's degree, with earnings that continue climbing rather than stalling out after graduation.