Human Resources Management and Services at DeSales University

DeSales University's HR program graduates start below the Pennsylvania median ($49,480 vs. $50,128) and rank in just the 40th percentile among the state's 29 HR programs. While earnings do grow to $53,616 by year four—a reasonable 8% increase—graduates remain well behind stronger alternatives like Saint Joseph's ($58,528) or Geneva College ($56,414). The gap isn't catastrophic, but parents should recognize they're paying for middle-of-the-pack outcomes at what's functionally an open-admission school.

The debt picture offers a silver lining: at $36,131, graduates carry significantly more than the state median of $27,000, yet this still results in a manageable 0.73 debt-to-earnings ratio. Your child won't be drowning in payments, but they're also starting their career behind peers at comparable Pennsylvania schools who borrowed similar amounts and earn $5,000-9,000 more annually.

The major caveat here is sample size—fewer than 30 graduates reported data, which makes these numbers less reliable. That uncertainty cuts both ways: outcomes could be better than shown, or worse. If your child is drawn to DeSales for campus culture or specific faculty, it's not a financial disaster. But purely as an investment in HR career prospects, Pennsylvania offers stronger options at similar or lower debt levels.