Marketing at Emporia State University

Emporia State's marketing graduates start their careers earning about $40,800—roughly $3,600 below the Kansas median and nearly $4,000 below the national average. While that places them in just the 25th percentile nationally, they're closer to middle-of-the-pack within Kansas (40th percentile), where several larger state universities dominate the top spots. The program does offer one significant advantage: at $27,000, the median debt sits well below both state and national averages, ranking in the 5th percentile nationally for debt burden. That translates to a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66, meaning graduates owe about eight months of their first-year salary.

The caveat here matters: we're looking at fewer than 30 graduates, so these numbers could shift considerably with a larger sample. That said, the pattern is consistent with what you'd expect from a regional state university with a 98% acceptance rate serving a substantial population of first-generation and lower-income students. If your child is considering marketing, they'd likely start ahead financially at Kansas State or KU, but Emporia's lighter debt load could matter more than the earnings gap for students who need the most affordable path to a degree. Run the math on total four-year costs before deciding—the lower debt here only helps if the upfront tuition doesn't erase that advantage.