Homeland Security at Angelo State University

A debt-to-earnings ratio under 0.50 typically signals manageable student loans, and this program appears to hit that mark based on comparable homeland security bachelor's programs nationally. With estimated first-year earnings around $49,000 and debt near $23,000, graduates would theoretically face monthly loan payments around $260—roughly 6% of gross income. By year four, when actual earnings data shows $52,700, the financial picture improves modestly, though this isn't the dramatic salary growth some fields deliver.

What complicates the assessment is that Texas homeland security programs show considerable variation. The state median sits at $45,000—lower than the national benchmark—while debt levels among Texas schools range from $17,000 to over $23,000. Angelo State's estimated figures place it near the higher end for debt but with earnings tracking closer to the national average than the state's. This suggests the program may be positioning graduates for federal or corporate security roles rather than purely state-level positions, though without school-specific data, that's conjecture.

For families weighing this investment, the fundamental question is whether $23,000 in debt makes sense for a field where mid-$40,000s to low-$50,000s represents the realistic earning window. The ratio suggests yes—barely—but there's limited room for error if actual outcomes fall short of these peer-program estimates or if your student takes longer than expected to secure employment in the field.