Geography and Cartography at Assumption University

A 0.65 debt-to-earnings ratio suggests manageable borrowing—borrowers typically need ratios under 1.0 to avoid financial strain—but the caveat here is significant: both the $38,726 first-year salary and $25,000 debt figure are estimates drawn from national peer programs, not outcomes specific to Assumption graduates. Geography programs produce widely varying results depending on whether graduates pursue GIS careers, urban planning, or general research roles, and without actual data from this program, it's difficult to know which path Assumption's curriculum emphasizes or where its alumni land.

The estimated salary sits just above the national median but notably higher than Massachusetts' $31,108 median for geography programs, which seems counterintuitive given the state's typically strong labor market. This disconnect—along with the fact that nearby programs like Salem State and Clark report actual earnings in the low $30,000s—should make parents cautious about assuming Assumption's outcomes will match national estimates. With such a small graduate pool that the DOE can't publish real figures, you're essentially betting on a program without verifiable track record data.

The practical question is whether a $25,000 investment makes sense when similar in-state programs show actual first-year earnings around $30,000-$32,500. Parents should directly ask Assumption's career services for concrete placement data: which employers hire their geography graduates, what specific roles they fill, and what those positions actually pay.