Finance and Financial Management Services graduates from Lake Area Technical College earn $47,420 median salary — below the national average for this program. Median debt: $12,000.
Finance and Financial Management Services at Lake Area Technical College
Watertown, South Dakota • Associate's
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Finance and Financial Management Services at Lake Area Technical College
This page combines two federal data products: IPEDS institutional characteristics for Lake Area Technical College and the College Scorecard field-of-study (FOS) file for Finance and Financial Management Services at the associate's credential level. The FOS file is keyed by CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code, which means earnings and debt figures here reflect only graduates of this specific program — not the school as a whole. IPEDS reports 26 completers in the most recent cohort for this program at Lake Area Technical College, the denominator behind the median earnings figure.
Median graduate earnings of $47,420 represent Treasury-verified wages approximately one year after program completion, drawn from Social Security Administration records linked to federal financial aid applicants. Compared to the national mean of $52,208 across all institutions offering Finance and Financial Management Services, graduates here earn below the national average for this program. Across all programs at Lake Area Technical College, the mean median-earnings figure is $50,963, providing internal context for whether this specific field out-earns other options at the same institution.
Debt signals complete the ROI picture. The median cumulative federal loan debt for Finance and Financial Management Services graduates at Lake Area Technical College is $12,000, which translates to roughly $100 per month on a standard 10-year repayment plan. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.25 is under the 1.0 threshold the College Scorecard uses to flag favorable gainful-employment outcomes — earnings in year one already exceed cumulative borrowing. Program-level debt and earnings come from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard FOS release, updated annually.
Earnings Comparison
Program Details
Debt & ROI
Finance and Financial Management Services at Other Schools
| School | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus State Community College | $56,995 | — |
| Lake Area Technical College (this school) | $47,420 | $12,000 |
Other Programs at Lake Area Technical College
| Program | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician | $72,225 | $12,000 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians | $69,953 | $12,000 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $66,233 | $18,707 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | $60,763 | $12,000 |
| Computer Science | $60,752 | — |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | $57,596 | — |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | $56,633 | $9,500 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $52,822 | $12,000 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | $51,402 | — |
| Precision Metal Working | $51,201 | $11,000 |
Other Schools with Finance and Financial Management Services
Quick picks offering the same program — compare side by side
About the Data
Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Earnings are median earnings for graduates after completion, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants. Institutional characteristics come from IPEDS. Debt figures represent the median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation.
Debt-to-earnings ratio compares cumulative debt to annual earnings. A ratio below 1.0 indicates that annual earnings exceed total debt, generally considered favorable. Estimated monthly payments assume a standard 10-year repayment plan.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.