Criminal Justice and Corrections at East Texas Baptist University

East Texas Baptist's Criminal Justice program sits below both national and state earning benchmarks, producing graduates who earn $34,506 in their first year—about $1,400 less than Texas's median and $3,350 below the national average. More concerning is the gap between ETBU and other Texas programs: top-performing schools like Wayland Baptist ($53,038) and Texas A&M-Central Texas ($45,976) generate earnings roughly 30-50% higher. Even within Texas, ETBU graduates land at the 40th percentile, meaning three out of five similar programs produce better outcomes.

The $27,000 debt load is manageable in absolute terms—slightly above state and national medians—resulting in a 0.78 debt-to-earnings ratio that won't cripple recent graduates. But here's the rub: you're paying similar costs for substantially lower returns. Many Criminal Justice graduates enter law enforcement or corrections work where starting salaries are regionally determined, so geographic location matters. ETBU's Marshall location may limit access to higher-paying metro opportunities compared to programs near Dallas, Houston, or Austin.

The small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could swing significantly year to year, but they track with a clear pattern: this program underperforms its Texas peers. Unless your child has compelling reasons to attend ETBU specifically—religious affiliation, campus culture, or family ties to Marshall—the data suggests looking at higher-performing programs elsewhere in Texas that offer similar debt levels but substantially better career trajectories.