Business/Managerial Economics at Juniata College

Comparable Business/Managerial Economics programs nationally suggest first-year earnings around $53,000—a figure that lands this Juniata program well below Pennsylvania's state median of $82,000. That's a striking gap. The state's top programs at Villanova and Lehigh report graduates earning over $80,000, and even Pennsylvania's middle-tier programs substantially outperform the national benchmark this estimate is drawn from.

With projected debt at $24,000, the borrowing burden itself isn't alarming—the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.45 suggests manageable repayment. But that calculation assumes the $53,000 estimate holds true for Juniata specifically. If graduates instead earn closer to what other Pennsylvania programs deliver, the financial picture improves considerably. The uncertainty cuts both ways: small program size meant the Department of Education couldn't publish actual outcomes, so we're working with national averages that may not reflect this particular college's employer connections or alumni networks in the region.

For families considering this program, the key question is whether Juniata's graduates access Pennsylvania's stronger regional job market or end up competing nationally where economics degrees produce more modest outcomes. Ask the college directly about recent graduate placement—where they're working, which employers recruit on campus, and what first-year salaries look like. The difference between the state and national figures here is too large to ignore.