Biology at Eastern Nazarene College

A $26,138 starting salary puts Eastern Nazarene's biology program in the bottom tenth percentile among Massachusetts biology programs—a stark gap in a state where the typical biology graduate earns $41,879. While the debt load of $27,000 is actually reasonable and matches the state median, earnings lag behind not just elite schools like Worcester Polytechnic ($51,711) but also public universities like UMass-Lowell ($46,526) and Salem State ($45,670). Even nationally, where biology salaries are lower overall, this program ranks in just the 17th percentile.

The small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift with more data, but the pattern is concerning enough to warrant careful consideration. A debt-to-earnings ratio just over 1.0 suggests graduates are starting at wages that make repayment challenging, and biology is already a field where many students need graduate school to reach higher earning potential. If your child plans to pursue medical, research, or graduate programs anyway, the initial salary matters less—but if they're hoping to work directly after their bachelor's, this starting point puts them significantly behind peers from other Massachusetts schools, even those with similar or lower selectivity.