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Communication Disorders Sciences and Services at Western Washington University

Bellingham, WA · Public · Bachelor's Degree
46 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
52
Optimistic
46
Base Case
30
Pessimistic
Earnings $19,512/yr (-23% vs median)
AI Risk High (46% exposed)
Job Market Large (41,400 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Communication Disorders Sciences and Services graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $986K $422K $148K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 26.6x 11.4x 4.0x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 8.9x 3.8x 1.3x
Viable Career Paths 3 of 3 3 of 3 3 of 3
DegreeWorth Score 52 46 30

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$37,144
Out-of-state: $111,412
Median Debt at Graduation
$14,334
8.8 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$61,869
217% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Communication Disorders Sciences and Services graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 41,400 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary $105,620 27,400 +17.3% 48%
Speech-language pathologists $95,410 13,300 +15.0% 45%
Audiologists $92,120 700 +9.5% 45%

Compare & Explore

Communication Disorders Sciences and Services at Other Schools

Nevada State University ($47,833) California Baptist University ($38,559) Baylor University ($38,174) Arizona State University Campus Immersion ($37,074) Arizona State University Digital Immersion ($37,074) CUNY Lehman College ($36,241) Portland State University ($35,615) California State University-East Bay ($34,924)

Other Majors at Western Washington University

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($80,808) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($77,516) Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management ($72,675) Computer and Information Sciences, General ($68,219) Manufacturing Engineering ($65,863) Management Information Systems and Services ($61,668) Polymer/Plastics Engineering ($60,375) Accounting and Related Services ($60,048)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Communication Disorders Sciences and Services at Western Washington University?
This program scores 46/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 52 (optimistic) to 30 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Communication Disorders Sciences and Services career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Communication Disorders Sciences and Services graduates retain 3 of 3 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $147,653 (pessimistic) to $986,222 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Communication Disorders Sciences and Services graduates?
The career paths mapped to Communication Disorders Sciences and Services have roughly 41,400 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a large job market.
Is Communication Disorders Sciences and Services at Western Washington University worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 11.4x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 4.0x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.