Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services at Colorado State University-Fort Collins

A $23,000 debt load seems manageable against first-year earnings around $40,000, particularly when comparable programs nationally show similar debt levels. This Family and Consumer Sciences Business Services degree carries a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.57—well within reasonable territory for a bachelor's program. The challenge is that we're working almost entirely with estimates here: both the earnings and debt figures come from peer programs across the country, not from Colorado State's actual graduates in this major.

That uncertainty matters because this is a relatively rare specialization—only 16 schools nationwide offer it, and Colorado State is the sole provider in the state. Without direct outcomes data, it's hard to know whether CSU's specific curriculum and regional connections deliver better or worse results than the national pool suggests. The $40,000 starting salary could be higher in Colorado's Front Range economy, or it could lag if local employers don't actively recruit for these specialized business roles in family and consumer sciences.

The program's distinctive position as Colorado's only option in this field could work in graduates' favor if it meets a specific industry need, but you'd want to dig into exactly what careers these students pursue and whether local employers value this particular credential. Talk directly with the department about graduate outcomes and job placement—actual data from their own tracking would be far more valuable than these national proxies.