International Relations and National Security Studies at Cleveland State University

Cleveland State's international relations program earns $31,434 in the first year—about $4,000 below Ohio's median and $6,000 behind the national average. While that lands this program at the 24th percentile nationally, it actually reaches the 40th percentile among Ohio schools, suggesting the state's IR programs generally underperform. The debt load of $25,500 is relatively low (13th percentile nationally), which helps soften the blow of modest earnings.

The concerning gap compared to Miami University ($38,766) and Ohio State ($38,584) raises questions about career network strength and employer recruitment at Cleveland State. However, with fewer than 30 graduates in this dataset, these numbers might not reflect the full picture—a few students taking gap years or entering graduate school could skew the averages significantly.

For a family counting on immediate career launch, this is a risky choice in an already challenging field. If your student is considering Cleveland State, they'll need a concrete plan for internships and networking to overcome the credential gap. The low debt helps, but starting $7,000 behind Ohio State graduates creates a meaningful disadvantage in a competitive field where connections often matter as much as the degree itself.