Human Services at Carson-Newman University

A bachelor's in Human Services at Carson-Newman will likely saddle your child with $25,562 in debt—higher than most Tennessee programs in this field but below the national average—for a career that typically starts around $36,630 based on comparable programs nationwide. That debt load represents about 8.5 months of first-year salary, which is manageable compared to many fields, though the earnings trajectory tells a sobering story: four years into the career, graduates are making just $39,213, an increase of less than $3,000.

The challenge here isn't the debt burden in isolation—it's the limited earning potential in human services work, period. Similar programs across Tennessee typically produce first-year earnings of $32,437, suggesting Carson-Newman's graduates may fare slightly better than the state average, but even the best-case scenario here means your child will be living on a modest income for years. Human services is meaningful work, but it rarely pays well enough to justify significant debt without supplemental income or loan forgiveness programs.

If your child is committed to this field, Carson-Newman's debt-to-earnings picture is workable—they won't be crushed by payments the way some borrowers are. But before signing on, confirm whether this program connects students to public service loan forgiveness opportunities or has strong employer partnerships that lead to positions with benefits and growth potential, because the salary alone won't provide much financial breathing room.