Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas at Culver-Stockton College

Culver-Stockton's teaching program sits in an interesting position: it performs better than most Missouri teacher preparation programs (60th percentile in the state) but trails the national median by $6,000 annually. For in-state students focused on teaching in Missouri schools, where starting salaries hover around $35,000-$38,000, that first-year salary of $37,077 aligns reasonably well with local market realities. The debt load of $29,517 is actually higher than both state and national medians, though the 0.80 debt-to-earnings ratio remains manageable—graduates would need to dedicate about 18 months of gross income to clear their loans if they followed standard repayment plans.

The real concern here isn't the numbers themselves but the sample size warning. With fewer than 30 graduates in the data, a few outliers could skew these figures significantly in either direction. What we're seeing might not reliably predict your child's experience. The school's 98% admission rate and modest SAT scores suggest they're prioritizing access, which serves many first-generation college students well (36% receive Pell grants), but also means academic rigor and career support networks may vary.

For families considering this program, compare carefully against Missouri State or Northwest Missouri State, which produce similar earnings with slightly lower debt burdens and larger, more stable graduate cohorts. If your child has strong ties to Canton or needs Culver-Stockton's particular campus environment, the outcomes aren't problematic—but they're not compelling enough to overlook stronger alternatives.