Funeral Service and Mortuary Science at Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service

Commonwealth Institute graduates enter the funeral service profession earning $46,268—solidly above both the Texas median ($43,615) and the national average ($44,695) for mortuary science programs. More importantly, graduates carry just $11,625 in debt, roughly half what's typical nationally and well below the Texas median. This translates to a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.25, meaning graduates could theoretically pay off their loans in three months of gross income—an unusually favorable position for any field.

The concerning pattern here is the earnings decline: four years out, the median drops to $39,036, a 16% decrease. This is common in funeral service, where many graduates initially work at established funeral homes before potentially opening their own practices or moving into lower-paying but more desirable geographic markets. The field itself has relatively flat earning trajectories compared to other healthcare-adjacent professions. However, the low debt burden matters significantly here—even at the lower four-year earnings level, these graduates aren't saddled with loan payments that would make career flexibility difficult.

For parents worried about ROI, this program offers what funeral service typically delivers: stable, recession-resistant work with manageable debt. The earnings decline is industry-standard rather than program-specific. If your child has a genuine calling for this profession, Commonwealth's combination of competitive starting salaries and exceptionally low debt makes it a practical choice among Texas options.