Criminal Justice and Corrections at Creighton University

A bachelor's in criminal justice carrying $27,000 in debt might seem manageable until you consider that similar programs in Nebraska produce first-year earnings around $40,000—meaning graduates face nearly eight months of gross pay in loans. While these figures are estimates based on peer programs rather than Creighton's actual outcomes, the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.67 sits in a zone where monthly payments will consume a meaningful chunk of entry-level public safety or corrections salaries.

Nebraska's criminal justice field appears relatively consistent, with top programs clustering between $39,000 and $42,000 in first-year earnings. Creighton's estimated $27,000 debt burden runs higher than the state median of $23,780, though it's close to the national median. For a private university charging premium tuition—reflected in that 5% Pell grant rate—the estimated returns don't suggest the kind of career premium that would justify significantly higher borrowing compared to Nebraska's public universities.

The challenge here is straightforward: criminal justice careers typically start at modest salaries regardless of where you earn the degree. If Creighton's actual outcomes substantially exceed these state-based estimates, that would change the calculation. But absent that data, parents should recognize they may be paying private school prices for public sector salary outcomes, and the math doesn't obviously favor taking on extra debt when Nebraska's state universities offer the same credential with comparable or better estimated earnings at lower cost.