Criminal Justice and Corrections at Brookline College-Tempe

With only a handful of graduates in the sample, these numbers require careful interpretation, but the pattern suggests Brookline College-Tempe's criminal justice program lands students squarely in the middle of Arizona's options. At $31,295 in first-year earnings, graduates match the state median exactly—placing them in the 60th percentile statewide—though this trails the national median by about $2,000. The $20,000 debt load is higher than the national typical burden of $14,230, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio that means graduates owe roughly eight months of their first-year salary.

The real question is opportunity cost. Arizona community colleges like Pima deliver starting salaries above $42,000—about 34% more—for the same degree. Even accounting for the modest 5% earnings growth to $33,000 by year four, Brookline graduates aren't closing that gap. For a program serving a predominantly working-class population (58% receive Pell grants), that $11,000 annual difference matters enormously for financial stability.

If your child is set on this specific campus for access or convenience reasons, the debt burden is at least manageable relative to earnings. But if they have flexibility in where they attend, pushing them toward community college options could mean starting their career with significantly better financial footing and less relative debt.