Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas at Brigham Young University-Hawaii

Teaching positions in Hawaii typically command higher salaries than $43,000, which is what comparable education programs nationally suggest BYU-Hawaii graduates might earn in their first year. While the estimated debt load of $27,000 sits right at the national median for teacher education programs, Hawaii's cost of living is among the highest in the nation—making that debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.63 potentially more burdensome than it would be elsewhere.

The challenge here is that we're working entirely from estimates based on peer programs, since this specific program's graduate numbers are too small for the Department of Education to report. Similar subject-area teaching programs across the country show first-year earnings that cluster tightly around $43,000, but Hawaii's unique market—where teacher shortages and cost-of-living adjustments often push starting salaries higher—may not follow that pattern. Your child could reasonably expect better outcomes than these national estimates suggest, but you're essentially placing a bet on local market conditions rather than looking at actual graduate data.

If your child is committed to teaching in Hawaii after graduation and willing to live modestly during the early years of loan repayment, this could work financially. However, ask the program directly about their recent graduates' actual placement rates and starting salaries in Hawaii's school system—that real-world data matters far more than these national approximations.