What this does
This page lists the degree programs that lead into one career in your state, one row per program, level and kind of route. It is step 1 of 2: you pick a program here, then the career page shows the schools in your state that offer it. The heading reads "Degrees & Training for "career"" and the line under it reads "Choose a degree or training program below to see which your state universities offer the strongest ROI pathway into career."
- Students see every field of study that can lead to the career, not only the obvious one.
- Parents see how many years and roughly how much each program costs before looking at schools.
- Counselors see which programs lead straight to the career and which need more education or a license after.
Before you start
- Start from a career page. This page opens from the Related degrees link (Degrees that lead here →) in the More for career bar on a career page. Opened with no career chosen, it sends you to the Careers list.
- Pick a state. With no state chosen, the page shows only Pick a state to see the degrees for this career. and the Showing data for menu. Programs, school counts, costs and pay are for that state.
- Know the level. Reached from a career page, the list shows both undergraduate and graduate programs, each row labelled with its level. A link that names one level shows only that level. There is no level menu on this page; the Feeder degree type menu is on the Careers list, and the Pathway menu on the career page switches the school table to graduate programs.
Step by step
- On a career page, click Degrees that lead here → in the More for career bar. This page opens with the eyebrow Step 1 of 2, and the table shows "Loading data — this may take a moment on first load…".
- Read the pay card Actual wages paid (BLS OEWS survey), and the Advertised in current postings (sample) card with Why two numbers? when it appears. The same figures apply to every program in the list.
- Look at the table. It starts sorted by Est. Cost, lowest first.
- Type in Search degree program for career ("Type a program name — e.g. Accounting, Finance, Business Admin…") to keep only programs whose name contains your text. The table updates as you type.
- Click a column heading to sort by it; click again to reverse.
- Hover a Path value to read what it means.
- Click See universities → on a row. The career page opens with a "Pathway: program" line and the school table limited to schools in your state that offer that program at that level.
- To come back to this list later, click ☆ Save this report, the floating button at the bottom right of this page. It turns to ★ Saved and the page appears under 💼 Careers in My Reports. Signed out, the button reads Sign in to save and opens the sign-in dialog.
Every control explained
| Control | Where | What it changes | Default | Tips |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Showing data for | Top of the page | The state for the programs, school counts, costs and pay. Changing it reloads the page for the same career. | The state you last picked on this device | A program offered by no school in the state does not appear. |
| Search degree program for career | Above the table | Shows only programs whose name contains your text. Your sort is kept. | Empty (all programs) | Part of a word works ("account" finds accounting programs). With no match the table reads "No programs match the search." |
| Column headings (Degree / Program, Level, Path, Yrs, Univs., Est. Cost) | Table header | Click to sort by that column; click again to reverse. ▲ / ▼ marks the active column, ⇅ the others. | Est. Cost, lowest first | The first click on Univs. puts the most widely offered programs first. |
| See universities → | Last column of each row | Opens the career page for this career, limited to this program and its level. | — | From there you can open the ROI Calculator for any school. |
| check Non-Degree Pathways → | In the table, only when no degree programs are found | Opens the non-degree routes for this career (certificates, apprenticeships and similar). | — | Appears with "No degree pathways found for career. This occupation may be served by non-degree pathways". |
| see graduate degrees → | In the table, only on an undergraduate-only list for a career that has graduate programs | Opens this page again with graduate programs. | — | Appears with "No undergraduate degree pathways found for career. This career usually needs a graduate degree". |
| ☆ Save this report / Sign in to save | Floating button, bottom right | Signed in: saves this page to the 💼 Careers section of My Reports and turns to ★ Saved; clicking ★ Saved removes the save. Signed out: reads Sign in to save and opens the sign-in dialog on the same page. | Shown as soon as the page opens; reads ★ Saved if this exact page address is already saved | The save keeps the page address (this career and your state) under the title "Degrees for career". Up to 5 in the Careers section. See Saved reports. |
Reading the results
Pay cards
The same two cards as on the career page. Entry your state salary for career ("Conservative entry-level estimate (BLS p25).") and Median your state salary for career ("Middle of the wage distribution (BLS p50).") are yearly pay in dollars from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for your state (May 2024 in the current data; the card does not print the year). The note reads "Same wage applies to every degree program below — choose your path by university fit, est. cost, and Institution Rank on the next step." The advertised card, from Samantar's postings sample, appears only when at least 30 postings in your state list pay; Why two numbers? explains the gap between the two. See the career page guide for how each is computed.
Program table
| Column | Meaning | Unit | Source | How it is computed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Degree / Program | The field of study. | — | NCES program list and the federal education-to-occupation crosswalk | One row per program, level and kind of route. |
| Level | The award, in plain words, for example "Bachelor's Degree" or "Associate's Degree". | — | IPEDS award levels | — |
| Path | Direct: the degree leads straight to the career. Bridged +: more education is needed after it (hover to see which). License / Adv.: a license or advanced degree is required. Ladder: the career is usually reached after 5–15 years of experience. | — | Crosswalk, Samantar's bridge and career-ladder tables, O*NET education data | — |
| Yrs | Total years of education, including any extra years elsewhere. | Years | Same | The middle value across the schools offering the program. |
| Univs. | How many schools in your state offer the program for this career. | Schools | IPEDS | Count of distinct schools. |
| Est. Cost | Typical total cost: tuition, housing and other living costs over all the years in Yrs. | Dollars | IPEDS tuition (in-state), HUD Fair Market Rent, MIT Living Wage | The middle value across schools of yearly cost × total years. Unlike Total Cost on the career page, it includes the extra years. |
A blank count or year shows "—". More on sources: how the figures are produced.
Worked example
A student in Arizona interested in physical therapy support work.
- On the Careers list he searches "physical therapist assistant" and opens the career page. In the More for bar he clicks Degrees that lead here →.
- This page opens: Step 1 of 2, "Degrees & Training for "Physical Therapist Assistants"", and the Arizona pay card with entry and median yearly pay.
- The table lists a handful of programs, cheapest first by Est. Cost. Each row shows its level, a Path such as Direct, the years, and how many Arizona schools offer it.
- He clicks Univs. to put the most widely offered program first, then hovers its Path value to confirm it is direct.
- He clicks See universities →. The career page opens with "Pathway: program" under the heading and only the Arizona schools that offer that program.
Common questions
- Why does it say "No degree pathways found" for a career I know needs a degree?
- No school in your state offers a program that the federal crosswalk links to this career, at any level. If the list was opened for undergraduate programs only and the career is entered after a graduate or professional degree (for example law or medicine), the page says so instead and offers see graduate degrees →.
- Why do Est. Cost here and Total Cost on the career page differ?
- Est. Cost covers all the years in Yrs, including extra education elsewhere, and is the middle value across schools. Total Cost on the career page is for one school and only the years of that program.
- Why is the same program listed twice?
- Rows are split by level and by kind of route. The same field can lead directly at one level and need more education at another.
- Why is the pay the same for every row?
- The pay is for the career in your state, not for graduates of a given program. Choose a program by fit, years and cost.
- Why don't I see the advertised pay card?
- It needs at least 30 postings with pay for this career in your state.
- Can I save this list?
- Yes. Click ☆ Save this report at the bottom right. It is filed under 💼 Careers in My Reports (up to 5) and reopens with the latest data. If you have already saved this career's list in this state, the button reads ★ Saved; clicking it removes the save. Signed out, the button reads Sign in to save and opens the sign-in dialog; after you sign in, reload this page and the button reads ☆ Save this report.
- Is the cost in-state or out-of-state?
- In-state. Switch to out-of-state with Residency (cost basis) on the career page after you pick a program.
What this does NOT do
- It does not list schools; pick a program and the career page does.
- It has no menu to switch between undergraduate and graduate programs; reached from a career page it lists both.
- Costs are typical values across schools, before aid, and are estimates, not quotes.
- It is not advice and not a job board.
- Nothing about you is stored apart from the state you picked on this device; signing in is only for saving reports.
Related
- Career page: the schools for a program, pay, outlook and credentials.
- Careers: finding a career.
- Non-degree routes for a career
- Degree page
- ROI Calculator
- My Reports
- Open the live page: Careers (open a career, then Degrees that lead here →)