Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at St Philip's College

St Philip's College Liberal Arts associate degree graduates start around $27,000 annually and see decent growth to $31,000 by year four—a 16% increase that's respectable for an associate-level program. However, the program sits in the 40th percentile among Texas liberal arts programs, meaning six in ten similar programs in the state produce higher earnings. The gap is significant: top Texas community colleges like Central Texas and Austin Community College see their liberal arts grads earning $38,000-40,000, roughly $7,000-10,000 more annually than St Philip's graduates.

The positive here is manageable debt. At $15,000, it's higher than the state median of $10,500, but the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.56 means graduates owe roughly half their first year's salary—a generally workable burden. This puts the program in the 18th percentile nationally for debt, meaning most comparable programs saddle students with more loans.

The small sample size matters. With under 30 graduates tracked, one or two outlier experiences could skew these numbers significantly. If your child is considering this path, the earnings trajectory suggests they'll need additional credentials or specific career focus to match what other Texas community colleges deliver. The reasonable debt load offers flexibility for that next step, whether it's transferring to a four-year program or pursuing career-specific certifications.