Economics at Capital University

Capital University's economics program faces stiff in-state competition, with peer programs in Ohio producing first-year earnings ranging from $57,000 to over $65,000—substantially higher than the $51,500 typical of Ohio economics programs overall. This estimated $25,000 in debt is manageable by most standards, resulting in a debt-to-earnings ratio under 0.5, but the real question is whether Capital's outcomes match the state average or fall short of it.

Economics degrees typically offer strong employment prospects, and the estimated debt load here wouldn't be crushing even at median earnings. However, if you're paying private-school tuition at Capital, you're competing with graduates from schools like John Carroll and Miami University whose economics alumni are seeing $6,000-$14,000 more in first-year earnings. That gap matters when you're making loan payments.

The lack of actual reported data for Capital's program suggests very small graduating cohorts, which could mean limited alumni networks in economics specifically. Given that Ohio has 42 economics programs to choose from—including several with proven track records of stronger early earnings—you'll want to understand what specifically Capital offers that justifies choosing it over programs with documented better outcomes. The cost-to-value equation works if Capital's actual graduates perform near the top of that Ohio range, but there's currently no way to verify that.