Expense, Completion, and Career Information

Capella's flexible online degree programs are designed for busy adults with families and careers—here, they achieve their educational goals while meeting other commitments.

We're proud of their success. At Capella, they learn career-relevant skills. During their programs and after they graduate, they advance professionally and make a difference in their organizations and communities.

Our graduates have good reason to be proud of the degrees they earned at Capella, too. They receive an average 51% salary increase within 5 years of graduation¹, 96% of employers rate the performance of Capella graduates as exceptional or proficient², and 95% of our graduates are satisfied with their Capella experience¹.

¹ Eduventures survey of Capella graduates, 2010
² Capella Employer Survey Report, 2011

These outcomes will help you understand the expertise you're expected to gain from each of our programs, how Capella graduates are performing professionally after graduation, and what they think about their education and how it's affecting their careers.

We believe in being clear about the real cost, time, and value of a Capella degree. Going back to school is about your goals, your life, and your career. But it's also about the time and money you'll spend—and what you'll get out of it.

Expected time to complete & on-time completion rate

The expected time to complete a bachelor's degree is defined by the US Department of Education as 4 years, or 16 calendar quarters. The expected time to complete for Capella's other programs varies, is defined as the median time to complete for each program, and is calculated for programs that have had 10 or more graduates. Capella defines the expected time to complete for each program in active academic quarters as well as total calendar quarters.

The on-time completion rate indicates what percentage of our graduates—working adults with family and career commitments—finish their programs within the expected number of active academic quarters.

Career information (SOC codes)

The US Department of Labor provides the Standard Occupational Classification system codes (SOC codes) that correspond to occupational information associated with different degrees and program levels. We have linked the SOC codes associated with each program to more detailed information on the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), the nation's primary resource of occupational information, which is sponsored by the US Department of Labor. The SOC codes listed are just a sampling of some of the careers and fields our graduates enter.

Minimum cost, average cost, and maximum cost

It's important to know how much you can expect to spend in pursuit of your degree. The cost of your program depends on many factors, such as transfer credits, education benefits, and how long you take to complete your program.

  • Maximum cost is the program's total tuition—plus the cost of applicable residencies or other requirements—without any transfer credit.
  • Minimum cost indicates what that total would be if a student entered the program with the maximum allowable transfer credit.
  • Average cost represents what the total would be with the average transfer credit our students bring into that program.

There are many ways our students reduce their costs in addition to transfer credits, including employer reimbursement, scholarships, grants, credit for prior learning, and military benefits. Most of our students are able to reduce the total cost of their programs.

Books and fees

Books and fees are an additional cost you should consider when choosing a program. At Capella, we strive to keep fees simple and book costs low.

Median debt

There are multiple types of financial aid to help pay for tuition and other education expenses, including federal student loans and private loans, and many of our students qualify for financial aid. Median debt indicates the median amount of student debt our graduates incur during their Capella programs, including debt they took on to pay for living expenses.

  • The population is based on graduates who completed a program of study between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011, the 2010–2011 financial aid year.
  • Total debt was calculated based on the last reported combined loan total from NSLDS and the legacy PFAIDS system.
  • Capella debt was calculated by subtracting total debt from the incoming debt, which was based on the first reported combined loan total from NSLDS and the legacy PFAIDS system.
  • Excludes alumni learners who graduated during the above period and are currently enrolled.
  • Does not include learners who started programs at multiple levels, excluding certificates. For example, a learner that started a master's degree and doctoral degree would be excluded.
  • Does not include learners who have completed more than one program, excluding certificates. For example, a learner that earned a master's degree and doctoral degree would be excluded.
  • Debt is aligned with the degree for learners that have earned a degree and certificates.
  • Time to complete for certificate, master's, MBA, and doctoral programs was determined by establishing the median number of active academic quarters between a graduate's first course and conferral of the degree. The US Department of Education has defined time to complete for bachelor's degree programs as 4 years.
  • Calendar quarters reflect the median number of active and inactive academic quarters between a graduate's first course and conferral of the degree. In some cases, active and calendar quarters are the same.
  • Due to small sample size, on-time completion rates and median debt are not provided for programs with fewer than 10 graduates during the 2010–2011 academic year.
  • Cost for doctoral programs was calculated using the time to complete for each program; the average time spent in the dissertation phase was calculated separately, and both were used to determine the actual cost for each program.
  • Median debt includes Title IV (federal financial aid); private loans; and institutional payment plans used by students for tuition and living expenses.
  • Our Career Center for students and alumni provides resources and support—including personalized resume development, interview preparation, job search strategy, and other career advancement assistance—to help them pursue professional goals. Because most of our students are already employed and do not seek job placement, Capella does not provide job placement services.

Degree Program Information

We publish learning, career, and alumni outcomes for programs for which we have collected enough information to provide meaningful reports. Results for some Capella programs are not available at this time.

Post-Bachelor's Certificates in Business

Human Resource Management

Leadership

  • Expected time to complete: Calendar quarters: 4; Active academic quarters: 4
  • On-time completion rate: 86%
  • SOC codes:
    • 13-1070 (Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists)
    • 11-2000 (Advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers)
    • 11-3000 (Operations specialties managers)
    • 13-2000 (Financial specialists)
    • 11-9000 (Managers)
  • Program cost: Average: $9,120
  • Books: $500
  • Fees: $75
  • Median debt:Not enough data to report at this time.

Post-Bachelor's Certificates in Technology

Information Assurance and Security

Project Management

  • Expected time to complete: Calendar quarters: 4; Active academic quarters: 4
  • On-time completion rate: 82%
  • SOC codes:
    • 11-2000 (Advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers)
    • 11-3000 (Operations specialties managers)
    • 13-2000 (Financial specialists)
    • 11-9000 (Managers)
    • 15-1000 (Computer specialists)
  • Program cost: Average: $11,400
  • Books: $500
  • Fees: $75
  • Median debt: Not enough data to report at this time.

Post-Bachelor's Certificates in Human Services

Criminal Justice

Health Administration

Interdisciplinary Forensics

Nonprofit Management and Leadership

Social and Community Services

  • Expected time to complete: Calendar quarters: 3; Active academic quarters: 3
  • On-time completion rate: 75%
  • SOC codes:
    • 21-0000 (Community and social services occupations)
    • 19-3000 (Social scientists and related occupations)
    • 11-9111 (Medical and health services managers)
  • Program cost: Average: $7,040
  • Books: $500
  • Fees: $75
  • Median debt: Not enough data to report at this time.

Post-Bachelor's Certificates in Counseling

Contemporary Theory in Addictive Behavior

Contemporary Theory in Couple and Family Systems

Contemporary Theory in Mental Health Services

Diversity Studies

Play Therapy

Professional Counseling

  • Expected time to complete: Calendar quarters: 3.5; Active academic quarters: 3
  • On-time completion rate: 89%
  • SOC codes:
  • Program cost: Average: $7,040
  • Books: $500
  • Fees: $75
  • Median debt: Federal Financial Aid: $0; Capella Pay Plan: $0

Post-Master's Certificates in Education

College Teaching

Enrollment Management

  • Expected time to complete: Calendar quarters: 3, Active academic quarters: 3
  • On-time completion rate: 94%
  • SOC codes:
    • 25-0000 (Education, training, and library occupations)
    • 25-1000 (Postsecondary teachers)
  • Program cost: Average: $2,430
  • Books: $500
  • Fees: $75
  • Median debt: Federal Financial Aid: $0; Capella pay plan: $0

Post-Master's Certificates in Psychology

Specialist Certificate in School Psychology

  • Expected time to complete: Calendar quarters: 9; Active academic quarters: 9
  • On-time completion rate: Not enough data to report at this time.
  • SOC code: 19-3030 (Psychologists)
  • Program cost: Average: $25,060
  • Books: $500
  • Fees: $75
  • Median debt: Not enough data to report at this time.
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