Design and Applied Arts at Benedictine College

A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.76 is actually manageable territory for an arts degree—borrowing $27,000 to earn an estimated $35,549 means the debt burden equals roughly nine months of gross income. Based on comparable Design and Applied Arts programs in Kansas, graduates typically start around the state median, which sits comfortably above the national benchmark of $33,563. The four Kansas programs with reported data show considerable spread, from $32,482 to nearly $44,000 at Kansas State, suggesting that individual outcomes depend heavily on factors like portfolio quality, networking, and which design sector students enter.

The challenge here is uncertainty. With too few graduates for the Department of Education to publish actual outcomes, we're relying on what peer programs produce rather than Benedictine's specific track record in placing design graduates. The estimated figures suggest reasonable value—debt is near both state and national medians, and projected earnings slightly exceed typical first-year outcomes for this field. But without knowing where Benedictine's graduates actually land, whether they're accessing Kansas City's design market effectively, or how the program's Catholic liberal arts foundation translates to portfolio development, you're making this decision with limited visibility.

If your child is committed to design and Benedictine offers the right fit otherwise, these estimates don't signal obvious risk. But request concrete placement information: where have recent graduates actually found work, and at what salaries? The numbers suggest this could work—you just need more evidence that it does.