Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at Southeastern Community College

First-year earnings of $60,712 place this program well above both state and national benchmarks for allied health associates, landing in the 78th percentile nationally. That's genuinely strong performance for a two-year degree. However, the debt figure of roughly $18,000—estimated from similar Iowa programs since the graduate cohort here was too small to report—translates to a reasonable 0.30 debt-to-earnings ratio that should be manageable on an entry salary north of $60,000.

The puzzling element is the earnings trajectory: graduates see income drop 17% by year four, falling to just over $50,000. This reversal could reflect several realities in allied health fields—perhaps initial placements in higher-paying specialties that prove unsustainable, credential holders moving to part-time work, or simply the volatility common in smaller graduate cohorts. Compare this to peer programs at Des Moines Area or Hawkeye, where first-year earnings hover around $56,000 but likely follow more typical career progressions.

For families weighing this investment, the starting salary offers real promise and the estimated debt burden is modest. But that backward earnings pattern deserves investigation. Talk to the program directly about which specific credentials students earn, where recent graduates actually work, and whether that first-year number reflects full-time employment. The strong start matters less if it doesn't lead somewhere sustainable.