Business/Managerial Economics at Boise State University

Boise State's Business/Managerial Economics program sits in an interesting position: it ranks at the 60th percentile among Idaho programs while landing in the 29th percentile nationally. That gap tells you something important—this degree performs reasonably well in the local context (better than University of Idaho's similar program) but faces tougher competition on a national scale. The $46,511 starting salary trails the national median by $6,700, though it edges above the Idaho median. More importantly, graduates carry just $14,538 in debt—dramatically less than both the national median ($22,250) and state median ($20,269).

That debt load matters. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.31, graduates owe about a third of their first-year salary, making repayment manageable even on modest starting wages. The 46% earnings jump to $68,008 by year four suggests decent career progression, though you're looking at this through a small sample size (under 30 graduates in the data), which means individual outcomes could vary more than these medians suggest.

For families planning to stay in Idaho, this represents solid value—moderate earnings with minimal debt. If your student is targeting out-of-state markets or comparing against top-tier business programs nationally, understand they'll be starting from a lower baseline than many peers, even if they catch up over time.