Economics at Baker University

Kansas economics programs cluster around $50,000 in first-year earnings, and Baker's estimated outcomes fall right in line with that state average. With estimated debt of $24,102—slightly above the state median but typical for private institutions—graduates would face a debt load equivalent to roughly half their first-year salary. That's a manageable ratio by most standards, particularly for a field where earnings tend to grow steadily with experience.

What makes this picture less certain is Baker's very small economics program. The Department of Education suppresses data when graduate samples are too small to reliably report, which means we're looking at what similar Kansas programs produce rather than Baker's actual track record. The three Kansas schools with reported data show a $7,000 spread in outcomes, with Baker's estimated figure landing in the middle—but a small program at a school with a 950 average SAT could realistically fall anywhere in that range or even below it.

For families weighing this investment, the fundamentals look reasonable on paper: a debt-to-earnings ratio under 0.5 and alignment with state benchmarks. But the lack of program-specific data means you're betting on Baker delivering outcomes comparable to its state peers. If your student is considering economics specifically, programs at Kansas State or Fort Hays offer similar earnings potential with verified data and likely lower tuition. Baker might make sense if there are other compelling factors beyond the major itself.