Criminal Justice and Corrections at Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater State's Criminal Justice program outperforms the national median by nearly $6,000, placing graduates in the 83rd percentile nationally—a strong showing for an accessible public university. First-year earnings of $43,735 sit comfortably above most programs in this field, though within Massachusetts specifically, the program lands at the 60th percentile. That middle-of-the-pack state ranking reflects Massachusetts' generally strong criminal justice outcomes rather than any weakness here; you're competing against programs like Northeastern ($51,363) and several other schools that crack $45,000.

The debt picture is reasonable at $26,696—right in line with both state and national norms for this degree. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.61, graduates should be able to manage payments without undue strain. What makes this particularly encouraging is the 21% earnings growth trajectory to $52,806 by year four, suggesting career advancement rather than stagnation. The robust sample size (100+ graduates) means these aren't fluky numbers.

For families weighing affordability against outcomes, Bridgewater State delivers solid value. Your child won't match Northeastern's starting salaries, but they're unlikely to face Northeastern's debt load either. This is what a functional public university program looks like: not flashy, but well above national averages with manageable debt and clear income progression.