Area Studies at California State University-Chico

The immediate concern here isn't the debt—at $16,375, it's below both national and state medians—but rather that first-year salary of $23,149. That's roughly $12 an hour full-time, placing this program in the bottom 10% nationally. Among California's 39 Area Studies programs, it ranks at just the 25th percentile, trailing significantly behind UC Berkeley ($50,728) and even sister CSU campuses like Fullerton ($29,316) and Long Beach ($28,591).

The upside is dramatic earnings growth: graduates see their income nearly double by year four, reaching $42,575. This pattern suggests many grads start in entry-level positions or graduate school but eventually find their footing. With a debt load under $17,000, the financial burden is manageable even during those lean early years. However, the small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could swing considerably year to year, making this data less reliable than programs with hundreds of graduates.

For parents, the question is whether your child can weather those first few years on roughly $23,000 annually—likely while living in California where costs run high. The eventual trajectory looks reasonable, but there are stronger-performing Area Studies programs within the Cal State system if you're concerned about early career earnings.