Criminal Justice and Corrections at East Texas A&M University

East Texas A&M's criminal justice program produces graduates earning $34,075 in their first year—about $3,800 below typical Texas grads in this field and $3,800 below the national average. While earnings do climb to $39,566 by year four, that growth trajectory still leaves graduates trailing their peers. Among Texas's 62 criminal justice programs, this one lands in the 40th percentile, meaning six out of ten competing programs deliver better outcomes. The state's top performers like Wayland Baptist and Lamar University show earnings potential that's $10,000 to nearly $20,000 higher.

The debt picture offers limited consolation. At $29,723, graduates carry more than the Texas median for this degree ($25,834), though the 0.87 debt-to-earnings ratio stays within manageable territory for a first job. That moderate ratio helps, but it doesn't change the fundamental reality: this program's graduates consistently earn less than average while borrowing more than average—a combination that extends the payback timeline.

For parents weighing this investment, the question centers on opportunity cost. If your student is Texas-bound for criminal justice, several state schools deliver measurably stronger financial outcomes at similar or lower debt loads. This program works as a fallback option with its 93% acceptance rate, but families should exhaust alternatives at better-performing Texas institutions first. The modest sample size (30-100 graduates) suggests reasonably stable data, making these outcomes representative rather than anomalous.