Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at East Tennessee State University

East Tennessee State's allied health program lands right at Tennessee's median for graduate earnings, which tells you something important: this is a competitive field where the school you attend matters significantly. While $48,671 might sound reasonable for a first job, it trails the national median by nearly $12,000—a gap that won't feel minor when loan payments start.

The debt load of $24,568 is actually slightly better than both state and national averages, resulting in a manageable 0.50 debt-to-earnings ratio. Your child would need about half a year's salary to cover their loans, which is workable. However, the real concern is that ETSU graduates are starting $9,000 behind peers from Baptist Health Sciences University in Tennessee, despite similar debt burdens. That earnings gap compounds over a career.

For Tennessee families, this program offers an accessible entry point into healthcare—especially given the 87% admission rate and relatively lower debt. But if your child can gain admission to Baptist Health Sciences or Tennessee State (which offers similar starting salaries at comparable debt levels), the additional career momentum might be worth exploring. The program works for students who need to stay local or prioritize admission certainty, but it's not positioning graduates at the higher end of their field's earning potential.