Communication Disorders Sciences and Services at Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater State's Communication Disorders program earns above the national median but lags behind most Massachusetts competitors—ranking in just the 40th percentile statewide despite scoring in the 71st percentile nationally. That gap matters: the typical graduate here earns $27,901 their first year out, about $3,400 less than the state median and nearly $6,300 less than Worcester State. With the Massachusetts market for this field clearly offering higher pay, the question becomes whether this particular program fully prepares students to compete for those better opportunities.

The debt picture offers reassurance. At $26,471, graduates carry essentially the state median burden but far less than the national average, placing this in the 6th percentile for debt nationally. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.95 means most graduates can realistically manage repayment on their starting salary. That conservative debt load matters especially for a field where many students pursue graduate education—which is nearly universal for practicing speech-language pathologists.

The sample size caveat is significant here: with fewer than 30 graduates in the data, a few outliers could skew these figures substantially. For families comfortable with that uncertainty, this program represents decent value—manageable debt and earnings that beat most programs nationally, just not the state's strongest options. If your child plans to stay in Massachusetts and potentially pursue a master's degree, comparing outcomes at UMass-Amherst or Worcester State would be worth the effort.