Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences at Christian Brothers University

A $27,000 debt load for a bachelor's degree isn't outrageous, but when similar health sciences programs across the country typically produce first-year earnings around $35,000, you're looking at a debt burden that equals roughly nine months of gross income—a challenging start for graduates in an already underpaid corner of healthcare. The national benchmark suggests this field consistently struggles with compensation, and Tennessee's median of just $26,734 shows it can be even tougher in this state. If your child is headed toward a specific healthcare role that requires only a bachelor's (not a stepping stone to grad school), it's worth mapping out the actual career path and its salary progression.

The broad "Health Sciences" label is itself a concern. This umbrella degree can lead to roles as disparate as health educators, medical records specialists, or community health workers—careers with vastly different earning potential. Without knowing which specific profession this program prepares students for, you're essentially betting on an outcome range that spans from barely livable to reasonably comfortable. Christian Brothers' 88% admission rate and modest academic profile suggest it's accessible, but accessibility doesn't answer whether graduates land in the higher-paying niches of this field or struggle in lower-tier positions.

Before committing, insist on seeing actual placement data: what jobs do graduates get, and what do those jobs pay in Memphis specifically? If the program is primarily feeding into graduate school for nursing or physician assistant roles, the bachelor's debt is just the first installment.