Business Administration, Management and Operations at Baylor University

Baylor's business program punches well above the typical Texas school, placing graduates in the 80th percentile statewide with first-year earnings of $63,438—nearly 44% above the state median of $44,084. With just $22,866 in median debt (below the state median) and a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.36, graduates can realistically pay off loans within a year or two while building their careers. The 10% earnings growth to $69,489 by year four shows solid trajectory, though it's worth noting this sits behind TCU and UT Austin among Texas business programs.

What makes this particularly compelling is the combination of strong outcomes and manageable selectivity—Baylor admits about half of applicants, making it meaningfully more accessible than peer schools with similar earnings profiles. The robust sample size (100+ graduates) confirms these aren't outliers. For families concerned about business degree value, this represents one of the clearer positive investments: lower-than-average debt paired with significantly higher-than-average earnings.

The practical upside here is straightforward. Your graduate enters the workforce earning more than 95% of business majors nationally, with debt that won't define their twenties. That's the kind of launchpad that creates genuine career optionality rather than forcing early compromises to manage loan payments.