Marketing at Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve's marketing program presents an unusual puzzle: despite the university's strong reputation and selective admissions (29% acceptance rate, 1501 average SAT), this program's outcomes fall below state expectations. At $45,251 first-year, graduates earn less than Ohio's median of $47,602 for marketing majors—landing in just the 40th percentile statewide. They're trailing schools like Miami University ($59,043) and Ohio State ($56,465) by $10,000-$14,000 annually, a significant gap that compounds over time.

The debt picture is more favorable: $27,000 sits in the 5th percentile nationally, meaning 95% of marketing programs leave students with more debt. The 0.60 debt-to-earnings ratio is manageable, and graduates should be able to handle these payments. However, "affordable debt" doesn't offset earnings that lag behind in-state alternatives, particularly when those alternatives may cost less upfront for Ohio residents attending public universities.

The critical caveat here is sample size—fewer than 30 graduates means these numbers could shift dramatically year to year. That said, when a selective private university can't match the outcomes of its state's public flagships in a practical field like marketing, parents should ask pointed questions about curriculum, corporate recruiting relationships, and career services before writing that tuition check.