Only 9 colleges in the country offer Alternative and Complementary Medical Support, which means graduates enter the workforce from a smaller, more specialized pool. Median earnings four years out: $36,371.
This page covers Alternative and Complementary Medical Support as a course of study: what it costs, where it is taught, and what graduates go on to earn. It sits inside the wider field of Health and how it pays overall, which is the better comparison if you are still choosing between subjects.
Alternative and Complementary Medical Support is a focused area of study within Health. Pick this and you can expect to earn around $36,371 four years out, a modest return for a focused credential. You will not have trouble finding it: 9 colleges offer this program, from community colleges to research universities. About 136 students complete it each year. Training is clinical and hands-on, often leading to licensure or certification.
Four years after finishing Alternative and Complementary Medical Support, a typical graduate earns $36,371, significantly below average for bachelor's degree holders. Half of earners land somewhere between $22,618 and $54,965, so where you end up depends on the job and the employer. Source: College Scorecard.
What that figure means in practice depends on what the degree cost to get, which is a matter of lifetime earnings against total outlay.
Significantly below average. Graduate credentials or high-demand roles can raise this considerably.
Not every Alternative and Complementary Medical Support graduate ends up in the same place. Earnings spread out a moderate amount, so know what pushes people to one end or the other. Specialization and credential level drive most of the gap. Advanced practice roles (nurse practitioners, CRNAs, physician assistants) anchor the top; entry-level clinical and support roles sit at the bottom.
At median 4-year earnings of $36,371 and an estimated $51,584 four-year net cost, earnings breakeven against a baseline wage takes approximately 8.1 years. Compare specific programs before committing to a high-cost option.
Based on outcomes from 1 schools. Colleges with fewer than 30 graduates are excluded from national averages.
Of the 136 students who complete Alternative and Complementary Medical Support programs each year, the majority (33%) earn a post-bacc cert. degree. The breakdown below shows the full credential distribution.
This degree does not lock you into one job. Alternative and Complementary Medical Support graduates show up in 8 different occupations, and Cardiologist pays the most at $496,010/yr median. Expand any card below to see daily responsibilities, in-demand skills, and 10-year growth projections.
The best-paid of these is what a Cardiologist earns and how fast the role is growing, though entry requirements vary across the list.
Only 1 colleges had enough verified data to appear here for Alternative and Complementary Medical Support. They are sorted by graduate volume, not selectivity, so use them as a starting point rather than a ranking.
Ranked by score, that list starts with the cost and outcomes at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, and the rest follow the same measures.
| # | College | Graduates | Acceptance | Net Price/yr | Earnings 10yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Fennimore, WI · Public | 17 | Open | $12,896 | $43,470 |
Ranked by Alternative and Complementary Medical Support graduate volume. Scroll right to compare key stats. Read our methodology →
Decide with data, not guesswork. These tools turn the numbers on this page into a personal plan. Estimate the real cost of an Alternative and Complementary Medical Support program, compare colleges side-by-side, weigh the long-term payoff, and find schools that match your profile.
See if an Alternative and Complementary Medical Support degree pays off. Weighs each college's cost against the earnings its graduates actually see.
Enter a budget and see the colleges whose net price fits, with the out-of-pocket cost and likely loan load for each.
Put any 2–4 colleges side-by-side. Admissions, cost, outcomes, and earnings, all on one screen, no tab-hopping.
Answer six quick questions and see your best-fit colleges ranked by budget, field of study, and what matters most to you.
Alternative and Complementary Medical Support carries financial trade-offs prospective students should weigh carefully. The 2 strengths and 4 concerns below are drawn from College Scorecard earnings, BLS job growth data, and IPEDS completion counts.
The highest-earning college major out-pays the lowest by a factor of two and a half. The full ranking of all 38 fields by median graduate earnings, with job growth alongside.
A popular claim holds that the applied engineering-tech degree pays more than the theoretical one. Across every program, engineering wins by about $10,000.
Across 88 STEM programs the top one out-earns the bottom by $65,000 a year. Operations research pays $122,531; environmental design pays $57,461.
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