Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods at Creighton University

Teacher education programs in Nebraska cluster tightly around $41,000-$44,000 in starting earnings, and Creighton's estimated outcomes—derived from nine comparable programs statewide—place it squarely in the middle of that range. At an estimated $27,000 in debt, you're looking at about eight months of gross first-year salary to pay off loans, which is manageable by education standards. The national median debt for this degree sits at $26,000, so Creighton's private-school price tag doesn't appear to be dramatically inflating borrowing compared to teaching programs elsewhere.

The challenge isn't unique to Creighton: teaching simply doesn't command high starting salaries. Similar programs across Nebraska suggest first-year earnings around $41,300, and even top-performing programs like UNL only push that figure to $44,000. That means you're choosing teaching for reasons beyond immediate financial return. The 0.65 debt-to-earnings ratio is reasonable for education majors, but it still requires careful budgeting in those early career years when salary growth in teaching tends to be incremental.

For a private Jesuit institution, Creighton appears to keep debt in check relative to outcomes, assuming these state-level estimates hold true for its specific graduates. If your student is committed to teaching and values Creighton's smaller class sizes and faith-based mission, the financial picture isn't prohibitive—but confirm actual placement rates and starting salaries with the education department before committing.