Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods at Boston College

Boston College's Management Sciences program lands you squarely in the middle of Massachusetts's competitive analytics landscape—earning $80,046 first-year out, you'll match the state median almost exactly while carrying 26% less debt than typical Bay State graduates. The catch? You're paying Boston College's selective private school price tag to earn what students at Bentley achieve, and just 18% less than MIT grads who command nearly six figures. Nationally, this program punches well above average (95th percentile), but in Massachusetts's unusually strong quant methods market, it's merely adequate.

The debt picture offers some reassurance: at $18,582, you're borrowing less than the state median of $25,000, giving you a comfortable 0.23 debt-to-earnings ratio. This means even with Boston's high cost of living, loan payments should consume less than 10% of gross income. The program's moderate sample size suggests steady graduate numbers, not a tiny cohort where outcomes might swing wildly.

For an anxious parent, here's the reality: your child gets Boston College's prestigious brand and campus experience, emerges with manageable debt, and earns solidly above the national average. But if they're specifically targeting quantitative management roles in Massachusetts, they'll face stiff competition from Bentley grads earning essentially the same and MIT grads earning significantly more. This works best for students who value BC's broader liberal arts environment and Jesuit network over maximizing first-year salary in the regional analytics job market.