Architecture at Benedictine College

A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.60—based on national medians for architecture bachelor's programs—suggests manageable repayment, with estimated monthly loan payments consuming roughly 6% of take-home pay. That's a reasonable starting point for this profession. However, the key question for Benedictine's program is what happens next. Architecture typically requires a master's degree to become licensed, meaning these first-year earnings likely represent work as an architectural assistant or drafter while pursuing further education. That additional degree brings more debt and delayed peak earnings.

The estimated $28,419 in debt sits slightly above the national median for architecture programs, though not dramatically so. For context, similar programs nationwide produce first-year earnings around $47,000, which aligns exactly with these estimates. The real challenge is that architecture demands patience—you're looking at 7-9 years of education and apprenticeship before reaching full professional status. If your child is committed to the master's degree path, these initial numbers are less relevant than the cumulative debt load from both degrees.

Since Benedictine is one of only two schools offering architecture in Kansas, and both lack sufficient graduate data for the DOE to report actual outcomes, you're making this decision largely on faith in the program's quality rather than hard evidence. Visit the school, ask about their graduate school placement rates and partnerships with M.Arch programs, and understand that this bachelor's degree is essentially a stepping stone, not a terminal credential.