Is a diagnostic and treatment professions degree from Joliet Junior College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 21% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 34%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Illinois programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Joliet Junior College Diagnostic and Treatment Professions (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Joliet Junior College diagnostic and treatment professions graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $12,355, which ranks 8th lowest of 15 diagnostic and treatment professions associate's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $131 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Joliet Junior College diagnostic and treatment professions graduates stay in Illinois?

Most do. 100% (46 of 46) were working in Illinois one year after graduating.

Associate's in Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions
Public college
Joliet, IL
About 48 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Joliet Junior College diagnostic and treatment professions graduates earn about what diagnostic and treatment professions graduates earn nationally, $57,778 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $12,355 in federal loans, less than at 82% of diagnostic and treatment professions programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying diagnostic and treatment professions degrees in Illinois.

First-year earnings$57,77866th percentile of 496 programs nationally

Median federal debt$12,3558th lowest of 15 Illinois programs

Debt-to-earnings21%Illinois median 21%, national 34%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Illinois and national columns are the medians across all diagnostic and treatment professions associate's programs that report the figure.

	Joliet Junior College	Illinois	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$57,778	$54,757	$54,570
Median federal debt at graduation	$12,355	$12,928	$18,592
Debt as share of first-year pay	21%	21%	34%
Programs compared		19	496

Debt and first-year pay at every Illinois diagnostic and treatment professions program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Illinois medians.

Joliet Junior CollegeOther Illinois programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $131 a month, or 2.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

100% of graduates (46 of 46) were working in Illinois one year after graduating. Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $57,778 salary here buys what about $55,773 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to diagnostic and treatment professions, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Radiologic Technologists and Technicians

$79,930

Median pay in Illinois. 7,650 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 13,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.

Bottom 10%: $59,350Top 10%: $104,210

Emergency Medical Technicians

$42,260

Median pay in Illinois. 7,840 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 13,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award.

Bottom 10%: $36,420Top 10%: $135,490

Physician Assistants

$131,950

Median pay in Illinois. 3,790 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 21% from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $105,160Top 10%: $162,330

Respiratory Therapists

$84,090

Median pay in Illinois. 4,880 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 8,600 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.

Bottom 10%: $64,480Top 10%: $100,100

About Joliet Junior College

In-district tuition and fees	$4,530 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$13,800 / year
Average net price after aid	$1,672 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	21%
Undergraduate students	9,306

Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ranks 2nd of 8 associate's programs at Joliet Junior College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($71,988), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($57,778), and Business Administration ($39,887).

Other diagnostic and treatment professions associate's programs near Joliet

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Joliet Junior CollegeJoliet, IL · public		$57,778	$12,355
Moraine Valley Community CollegePalos Hills, IL · public	22 mi	$55,739	$10,000
College of DuPageGlen Ellyn, IL · public	24 mi	$62,471	$17,250
South Suburban CollegeSouth Holland, IL · public	30 mi	$52,242	$8,347
Kankakee Community CollegeKankakee, IL · public	33 mi	$54,757	$10,418
Triton CollegeRiver Grove, IL · public	34 mi	$62,280	$14,285
City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X CollegeChicago, IL · public	37 mi	$63,963	$12,169
Midwestern Career CollegeChicago, IL · private for-profit	39 mi	$42,091	$21,750
William Rainey Harper CollegePalatine, IL · public	41 mi	$65,443	$16,525

Common questions

The median graduate earns $57,778 one year after graduating. The median across diagnostic and treatment professions associate's programs in Illinois is $54,757.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Illinois comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the diagnostic and treatment professions program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Diagnostic and Treatment Professions associate's programs in Illinois, ranked19 programs by pay and debt Diagnostic and Treatment Professions associate's programs in the US, ranked496 programs by pay and debt All Joliet Junior College programs, ranked8 programs by pay and debt