Public Health at Carroll College

Carroll College's Public Health program produces graduates earning $30,831 one year after graduation—dramatically underperforming both state and national benchmarks. This ranks in just the 10th percentile among Montana's three public health programs, where the state median is $52,801. Nationally, it lands in the bottom 5% of all programs. For context, Montana Tech's public health graduates earn $74,771, more than double what Carroll graduates make. The $25,250 in debt is manageable in absolute terms, but when your starting salary is barely above $30,000, that 0.82 debt-to-earnings ratio becomes a real burden.

The extremely small sample size here—fewer than 30 graduates—warrants serious caution. These numbers could reflect a few outlier career paths rather than typical outcomes. However, even accounting for statistical noise, the gap between Carroll's results and other Montana programs is too wide to ignore. If your child is committed to public health in Montana, the data suggests looking elsewhere, particularly at Montana Tech if that's an option.

The practical concern: at $30,831 annually, graduates will likely struggle with standard student loan payments while covering basic living expenses in today's economy. Unless your family has specific reasons to choose Carroll—strong scholarship offers, personal connections, or unique program features—this investment looks questionable based purely on the financial returns.