Radio, Television, and Digital Communication at Dallas Baptist University

Dallas Baptist University's radio and television program outperforms most competitors nationally but lands in the middle of Texas's pack—a state where this degree tends to pay better than average. First-year earnings of $33,619 exceed the national median by over $3,500, but among the 25 Texas schools offering this program, DBU ranks around the 60th percentile. For context, students at UT-Arlington and Texas A&M start nearly $10,000 higher, though they also likely face steeper competition for admission.

The 39% earnings growth to $46,798 by year four is genuinely encouraging in a field where many graduates plateau quickly. Graduates manage debt of $21,500—about $3,000 below the national median for this program—which creates a reasonable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.64. However, the small sample size (under 30 graduates tracked) means a few outliers could skew these figures considerably. A cohort of five unusually successful graduates could make the numbers look rosier than the typical experience.

For parents weighing this option: if your student values DBU's faith-based environment and can graduate near the median debt level shown here, the program appears viable. But given the university's 91% acceptance rate and the availability of higher-earning programs at other Texas schools with similar accessibility, this shouldn't be your only application. The financials work, but they don't argue strongly against exploring UT-Arlington or even looking at Texas State and other options in the $35-40K range.