Marketing at Coastal Carolina University

Coastal Carolina's marketing program shows an unusual pattern that tells two very different stories depending on your time horizon. Right out of the gate, graduates earn just $35,924—landing in the bottom 5% nationally and trailing even the South Carolina median by $1,100. But four years later, those same graduates are earning $53,971, representing 50% growth that catapults them past USC-Columbia and creates one of the stronger mid-career outcomes in the state.

This trajectory suggests the program may prepare students for roles that require some runway—perhaps in sales, digital marketing, or account management where performance and relationships compound over time. The $26,000 debt load is reasonable, and with a 0.72 debt-to-earnings ratio, most graduates should be able to manage payments even during that difficult first year. The key question is whether your family can weather that initial period when earnings lag significantly behind expectations.

For families who can provide support during those early years—or students willing to take on roommates and live frugally—this program appears to deliver solid value by year four. But if your child needs to be financially independent immediately after graduation, the weak starting salary creates real risk, regardless of what comes later.