Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations at Daytona State College

The small sample size here demands caution, but Daytona State's entrepreneurship certificate shows some surprising strengths for Florida students. While graduates earn slightly below the national median at $40,824, they're outperforming 60% of similar programs across Florida—a meaningful advantage when most students will stay in-state. More importantly, the debt picture stands out: at $10,740, students are borrowing roughly $3,000 less than the typical Florida program and nearly half the national median.

That low debt creates a manageable 0.26 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning graduates owe roughly three months of income. For a certificate program designed to launch small ventures or supplement other credentials, this quick-return model makes sense. The first-year earnings won't wow anyone, but they're competitive with other Florida certificate options, including programs at larger community colleges like Hillsborough.

The caveat matters: fewer than 30 graduates means one exceptional (or struggling) cohort can skew these numbers significantly. But if you're specifically looking at Florida certificate programs in entrepreneurship and want to minimize debt while testing business concepts, Daytona State's low borrowing requirement gives students breathing room to take risks—which is rather the point of studying entrepreneurship.