Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods at Illinois State University

Illinois State's Management Sciences program gets off to a rocky start—graduates earn $47,553 in their first year, roughly $15,000 below the national median for this degree. But here's what matters more: by year four, earnings jump 31% to $62,470, essentially catching up to where peers from other programs start. The manageable $23,250 debt burden (debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.49) means this slower launch doesn't create financial strain while you're waiting for earnings to accelerate.

Within Illinois, this program sits squarely in the middle—it's the 40th percentile among state offerings, trailing top performers like U of I and North Central by significant margins. The admission rate of 89% and mid-range SAT scores suggest this serves a different market than the state's most selective programs. For families choosing Illinois State based on affordability or accessibility, the delayed earnings trajectory is a real consideration, though the strong year-1-to-year-4 growth shows the degree does eventually deliver value.

The critical question is whether your student can weather those first few years of below-average earnings. If they're comfortable with a slower financial start in exchange for steady upward momentum and reasonable debt, this works. If they need strong immediate earnings or are comparing against Illinois's top-tier programs, the gap is substantial enough to warrant serious consideration of alternatives.