Interdisciplinary Studies
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other: is it worth it?
DegreeReturn Rating — Weak value
A 0–100 score blending this major’s national earnings, ROI and typical debt. How it’s scored.
Break-even
+$42,124 over 10 years
National picture across 260 college programs, at a typical net price.
The payoff is roughly break-even — the degree recovers its cost, but slowly.
What Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other pays
$42,670
Median earnings (1 yr) as of 2024
$57,195
Median earnings (5 yr) as of 2024
$21,475
Typical debt as of 2024
260
Colleges offering it
Is Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other worth it? The payoff is roughly break-even — the degree recovers its cost, but slowly. Earnings vary a lot by college, so where you study matters — see the best-ROI colleges for this major below.
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other vs similar majors
How Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other stacks up against the closest fields in Interdisciplinary Studies on pay, debt, ROI and the DR Rating. The best figure in each row is highlighted.
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other Interdisciplinary Studies · this major | Human Computer Interaction | Systems Science and Theory | Mathematics and Computer Science | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Rating | 40 D | 84 A | 90 A | 92 A |
| ROI verdict | Break-even | Strong return | Strong return | Strong return |
| Median earnings (5 yr) | $57,195 | $122,421 | $110,759 | $93,003 |
| Median earnings (1 yr) | $42,670 | $76,324 | $69,716 | $56,140 |
| ROI vs cost | +53% | +806% | +710% | +502% |
| Typical debt | $21,475 | $36,897 | $25,199 | $21,409 |
| Colleges offering it | 260 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other earnings over time
National median earnings one year after graduating, by cohort year — the consistent measure available across the federal data’s history.
Best colleges for Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Ranked by the ROI of this major at each college — its graduate earnings against the cost.
| # | College | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Sandy Community and Technical College Prestonsburg, KY | Certificate | $80,682 | — | +9,113% | Strong return |
| 2 | Cerritos College Norwalk, CA | Certificate | $59,780 | — | +5,997% | Strong return |
| 3 | University of the Pacific Stockton, CA | Associate's | $182,091 | $15,500 | +2,325% | Strong return |
| 4 | Inver Hills Community College Inver Grove Heights, MN | Certificate | $69,116 | — | +1,973% | Strong return |
| 5 | Central Carolina Technical College Sumter, SC | Certificate | $55,751 | — | +1,830% | Strong return |
| 6 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI | Associate's | $106,619 | $19,000 | +1,756% | Strong return |
| 7 | Bluegrass Community and Technical College Lexington, KY | Certificate | $63,608 | $10,928 | +1,743% | Strong return |
| 8 | Minnesota West Community and Technical College Granite Falls, MN | Certificate | $64,639 | — | +1,655% | Strong return |
| 9 | University of Arkansas Grantham LIttle Rock, AR | Associate's | $74,329 | — | +1,652% | Strong return |
| 10 | Yale University New Haven, CT | Associate's | $130,467 | $15,000 | +1,512% | Strong return |
| 11 | Texas A&M University-Central Texas Killeen, TX | Associate's | $57,683 | $14,569 | +1,504% | Strong return |
| 12 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA | Associate's | $93,915 | $14,500 | +1,417% | Strong return |
| 13 | University of Florida-Online Gainesville, FL | Associate's | $67,069 | $14,800 | +1,369% | Strong return |
| 14 | Spartanburg Community College Spartanburg, SC | Certificate | $48,371 | — | +1,302% | Strong return |
| 15 | Raritan Valley Community College Branchburg, NJ | Certificate | $59,578 | $10,500 | +1,275% | Strong return |
| 16 | Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College Orangeburg, SC | Certificate | $53,441 | — | +1,265% | Strong return |
| 17 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | Associate's | $85,005 | $14,775 | +1,213% | Strong return |
| 18 | Tri-County Technical College Pendleton, SC | Certificate | $64,143 | — | +1,205% | Strong return |
| 19 | Boston University Boston, MA | Associate's | $116,242 | $24,375 | +1,135% | Strong return |
| 20 | University of Hawaii-West Oahu Kapolei, HI | Associate's | $75,755 | $12,981 | +1,112% | Strong return |
| 21 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL | Associate's | $67,069 | $14,800 | +1,095% | Strong return |
| 22 | Greenville Technical College Greenville, SC | Certificate | $57,914 | — | +1,003% | Strong return |
| 23 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC | Certificate | $112,052 | — | +986% | Strong return |
| 24 | Montgomery College Rockville, MD | Certificate | $53,536 | — | +963% | Strong return |
| 25 | County College of Morris Randolph, NJ | Certificate | $57,993 | $10,000 | +936% | Strong return |
Related majors
Human Computer Interaction $122,421Systems Science and Theory $110,759Mathematics and Computer Science $93,003Science, Technology and Society $81,097Dispute Resolution $78,662Cognitive Science $77,676Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution $76,478Sustainability Studies $68,768
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.