Special Education and Teaching at Huntington University

The four-year earnings figure here—$37,844—reveals something unsettling: graduates of this program appear to earn *less* four years into their careers than comparable Indiana special education programs suggest they'll make in year one. While the first-year estimate of $45,802 aligns with the state median, that backward slide raises questions about career trajectory or reporting quirks that are hard to explain away.

The estimated $27,000 debt load sits just above the national median for special education programs and notably higher than Indiana's typical $23,251. That puts the debt-to-earnings ratio at a reasonable 0.59 based on the first-year estimate, but if the four-year figure is closer to reality, you're looking at a 0.71 ratio—meaning nearly three-quarters of annual income going toward debt service if stretched over ten years. For a field where teacher salaries typically increase with experience and credentials, this reversal demands scrutiny.

Special education teaching is stable work with clear demand, but these numbers suggest either limited growth potential or data anomalies that should prompt direct conversations with the school. Ask about actual placement rates, whether graduates are securing full-time positions with benefits, and what explains the earnings dip. Indiana's flagship programs show first-year outcomes $5,000-$6,000 higher, which compounds significantly over a career—worth considering if transferring to a larger state university remains feasible.