Public Health at Bryant & Stratton College-Virginia Beach

The numbers here look remarkably clean—perhaps too clean. With a sample size under 30 graduates, the fact that this program hits exactly the national and state medians for both earnings and debt suggests the data may be limited or rounded. That said, if we take the figures at face value, the 0.62 debt-to-earnings ratio is manageable, and graduates are earning more than 75% of similar certificate programs nationally.

The real question is trajectory. At $28,528 annually, graduates start at roughly $14/hour—workable debt but modest income for someone who's likely already in the workforce (62% of students receive Pell grants, indicating this is a population looking for practical advancement). For context, Virginia's living wage for a single adult is around $32,000, so these earnings leave little cushion. The key is whether this certificate opens doors to better-paying public health roles or serves as a stepping stone to further credentials.

Given the limited data and small cohort, treat this less as a definitive predictor and more as a directional signal. If your child needs an accessible credential to break into public health work or strengthen their resume for advancement, the debt level won't be crushing. But verify what actual job placements look like and whether most graduates continue their education—certificate programs often function as entry points rather than endpoints.