Health and Physical Education/Fitness at Gallaudet University

The unusual earnings trajectory here demands attention: first-year graduates from Gallaudet's Health and Physical Education program earn $38,090—well above the national median of $30,554—but by year four, that figure drops to $31,577. This 17% decline is atypical for any bachelor's program and suggests graduates may start in entry-level positions that don't lead to advancement, or face challenges in career progression specific to this field. Gallaudet serves deaf and hard-of-hearing students, and while the school clearly prepares graduates to launch successfully, something is limiting their trajectory in ways that aren't visible in these numbers alone.

The estimated debt of $27,000, derived from similar programs nationally, produces a manageable 0.71 debt-to-earnings ratio at graduation. That's reasonable compared to many bachelor's programs, and if earnings stayed flat or grew, this would look like a solid value proposition. The reality of declining earnings changes that calculus considerably—by year four, graduates are earning less than most comparable programs while still carrying the same debt.

For parents considering this program, the key question isn't whether their child can find work after graduation (the strong first-year earnings suggest they can), but whether those initial opportunities lead somewhere sustainable. The earnings decline might reflect sector-specific challenges in health and fitness education rather than program quality, but without understanding why graduates lose ground financially, it's difficult to assess whether this investment will pay off long-term.