Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences at Southeast Arkansas College

In Arkansas, health sciences certificate programs show dramatic variation in early outcomes—from nearly $53,000 at NorthWest Arkansas Community College down to $28,000 at Arkansas State University-Mountain Home. Southeast Arkansas College falls somewhere in the middle, with comparable programs in the state typically producing first-year earnings around $40,000. The national benchmark sits lower at $33,000, suggesting Arkansas programs generally perform well for this credential level.

The $13,500 in debt sits right at the national median for health sciences certificates and translates to manageable monthly payments against that estimated $40,000 salary. With 63% of students receiving Pell grants, this program serves a population where even moderate debt deserves careful consideration, but a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.34 falls within reasonable bounds for career-focused training. The real question is whether Southeast Arkansas College's specific training leads to the stronger outcomes seen at schools like NorthWest Arkansas and East Arkansas, or the weaker ones at Mountain Home—the estimate can't tell us that.

Given the wide spread in Arkansas outcomes, visit Pine Bluff to ask about clinical placement sites, employer partnerships, and exactly which health roles their graduates fill. The program's value hinges entirely on whether it opens doors to higher-paying positions (medical imaging, surgical tech) or lower-paying ones (medical assistant, home health)—a distinction worth $25,000 annually based on state data.