Criminal Justice and Corrections at Belhaven University

Mississippi's criminal justice programs cluster tightly around $35,000-$37,000 in first-year earnings, and based on statewide data, Belhaven's graduates likely land in this range. The estimated $27,000 debt load—derived from similar private nonprofit programs nationally—yields a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.76, which is manageable but leaves little margin for error in a field known for modest starting salaries and slow wage growth.

The challenge here isn't the debt itself, which sits near national norms for criminal justice degrees. It's that law enforcement and corrections careers typically start in the mid-$30,000s regardless of where you earn your degree. Some Mississippi programs like Strayer report outcomes above $43,000, but those higher earners may reflect career changers or graduate students rather than traditional bachelor's completers. For a traditional student entering the field fresh, the income ceiling tends to be low early on.

Your child would be taking on about nine months of their likely first-year salary in debt for a credential that—based on peer programs—puts them right at Mississippi's median for the field. That's neither a red flag nor a standout value. If law enforcement or corrections is genuinely the goal and Belhaven offers strong local agency connections, the numbers work. But if there's uncertainty about the career path, that $27,000 becomes harder to justify when the financial payoff is this predictable and modest.