Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies at Goshen College

Indiana's strongest interdisciplinary programs report starting salaries around $60,000, but similar programs nationally suggest earnings closer to $35,000—and that's the range this program's graduates likely fall into. With an estimated $26,500 in debt, you're looking at borrowing three-quarters of a year's income, which sits just above the manageable threshold many financial advisors recommend.

The concerning gap here is state versus national performance. While Indiana's median for this degree reaches $47,000, that figure likely reflects stronger programs at larger state schools. Goshen serves a distinct mission as a small Mennonite college, which may explain why comparable private institutions produce graduates earning in the mid-$30,000s. The 0.75 debt-to-earnings ratio isn't alarming on its face, but it depends heavily on what field your child actually pursues—"interdisciplinary studies" can mean anything from nonprofit work to corporate training, with vastly different salary trajectories.

The real question is what specific career path this degree supports. If your child is combining fields strategically (say, business and environmental science) and has a clear employment target, $26,500 in debt against steady $35-40,000 starting pay is workable. But if this is an exploratory degree without a defined career outcome, those estimated earnings could prove optimistic, making even moderate debt harder to manage than the numbers suggest.