Hospitality Administration/Management at DePaul University

DePaul's hospitality program starts slowly but shows real momentum, with earnings jumping 46% by year four to reach $50,615—well above what most hospitality grads achieve nationally. The catch? That first year out of college pays just $34,722, which lands in the 40th percentile among Illinois hospitality programs. National Louis University graduates, for context, start at $42,000.

The debt picture provides some relief. At $16,375, graduates leave with substantially less than the national median of $23,920 for this program, making those leaner early years more manageable. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.47, students could realistically pay off their loans within two years of that initial salary. By year four, when earnings hit $50,000, the debt burden becomes trivial.

The critical caveat: this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, so your child's experience could differ significantly. The earnings trajectory looks promising, but that first year requires either financial cushioning or a willingness to live frugally in an expensive Chicago market. If your child can weather the entry-level hospitality wages—and DePaul's relatively modest debt load makes that feasible—the four-year outlook is competitive with other career paths that start stronger.