Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at Western Dakota Technical College

With only a handful of graduates in the data, these numbers carry a big asterisk, but they suggest Western Dakota Technical's Allied Health program struggles compared to alternatives. Starting earnings of $22,074 land in just the 5th percentile nationally—meaning 95% of similar programs produce better initial outcomes. Even within South Dakota's limited field of four programs, this ranks in the bottom quarter, falling $4,000 short of the state median and nearly $8,000 behind National American University right here in Rapid City.

The debt picture offers modest relief: $11,375 is manageable and well below South Dakota's typical $18,974 for this credential. The 45% earnings jump to $32,000 by year four shows real income growth, eventually pushing graduates above both state and national medians. But that trajectory means spending those crucial early career years earning significantly less than peers from competing programs—years when loan payments still come due and financial foundations get built.

For parents weighing this against National American's program across town, the earnings gap is hard to ignore. The small sample size means next year's cohort could perform very differently, but based on available evidence, other South Dakota options appear to offer better returns on a similar investment of time and money.