Biology at Concordia College at Moorhead

Biology graduates from Concordia-Moorhead face a rocky first year, with starting salaries of $30,012 placing them in just the 25th percentile among Minnesota biology programs—roughly $6,000 below the state median and trailing significantly behind public options like St. Cloud State ($44,166) and Winona State ($38,666). However, earnings nearly double by year four to $47,339, suggesting graduates eventually find their footing in better-paying positions. The $26,500 debt load is reasonable at 88% of first-year earnings, though that initial income gap means lean times early on.

The real question is whether this trajectory justifies the weaker starting position. State schools in Minnesota are delivering significantly stronger outcomes from day one, and their graduates aren't waiting four years to reach competitive salaries. Concordia's biology program might ultimately lead somewhere—that 58% earnings growth shows promise—but your child would be starting well behind peers at comparable institutions.

If your student is committed to Concordia for other reasons (fit, smaller classes, campus culture), this program won't derail their future. But purely from an earnings standpoint, Minnesota offers multiple public alternatives where biology graduates start stronger and likely end up ahead. Unless there's a compelling non-financial reason to choose Concordia, the state's public universities present a more straightforward path to career success in biology.