Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies at Wichita State University-Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology

With estimated first-year earnings around $36,000 and debt near $13,000, this interdisciplinary associate's degree from Wichita State's applied sciences campus tracks closely with national patterns for similar programs—a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.36 suggests manageable repayment in most cases. These figures come from comparable programs nationally since this specific program's graduate cohort is too small for the Department of Education to publish actual outcomes. Kansas has 13 schools offering this credential, but none with publicly reported data, making it hard to gauge how this particular combination of institution and major performs relative to local alternatives.

The challenge with interdisciplinary associate's degrees is their variability—what "multi/interdisciplinary studies" means can differ dramatically between schools, and employment outcomes depend heavily on which skills students actually develop and how they market themselves to employers. At a campus focused on applied sciences and technology, you'd hope the coursework tilts practical, but the generic program name doesn't signal a clear career path the way "Welding Technology" or "Dental Hygiene" would. That ambiguity matters when $13,000 in debt is on the line.

If your student is using this as a stepping stone to a bachelor's degree or has a specific career plan that aligns with the curriculum, the numbers suggest a reasonable foundation. But if the goal is immediate employment with clear advancement potential, programs with more defined vocational outcomes typically offer stronger returns at the associate's level.