Criminal Justice and Corrections at Culver-Stockton College

Culver-Stockton's criminal justice graduates start well behind their peers—earning $33,394 in year one puts them in just the 21st percentile nationally—but what happens next tells a more interesting story. By year four, earnings jump 38% to $46,031, placing graduates squarely in the middle of Missouri's field and actually surpassing programs at larger schools like Missouri Western State.

That first-year figure is the real concern. At 40th percentile within Missouri, graduates are earning less than the state median right out of the gate, and the $27,000 in debt—while not catastrophic—represents 81% of that initial salary. For context, the top Missouri programs like Park University and Columbia College deliver starting salaries $13,000-$16,000 higher with similar debt loads. The question for parents becomes whether their child can weather those lean early years while the earnings trajectory develops.

The silver lining is genuine: that 38% earnings growth suggests graduates are finding their footing in careers that value experience. But the reality is that many criminal justice careers—corrections officers, probation work, court administration—pay modestly regardless of where you graduate. If your child is set on this field, Culver-Stockton can work, but they'll need financial support or minimal borrowing to bridge that difficult first year when nearly 80% of their peer group nationwide is earning more.