Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians at Kennesaw State University

With only a handful of graduates tracked, these numbers come with a major asterisk, but the picture they paint is troubling. Kennesaw State's industrial production technology program shows first-year earnings of $34,618—less than $60,000 below the national median for this degree and landing in just the 5th percentile nationally. While the program performs better within Georgia (60th percentile), that's largely because the state has only three programs offering this degree, making state comparisons less meaningful. Students are graduating with $28,250 in debt for starting salaries that barely exceed what many earn with a high school diploma.

The 0.82 debt-to-earnings ratio isn't catastrophic on paper, but context matters: nationally, graduates in this field typically earn $60,000 their first year out. Something is significantly off-track here, whether it's program quality, employer connections, or the types of positions graduates are securing. Georgia's manufacturing sector offers solid opportunities—graduates shouldn't be earning half the national benchmark.

Until Kennesaw can demonstrate consistent outcomes with a larger sample size, parents should view this as a high-risk choice. If your student is committed to industrial technology, investigate what's driving these low earnings and whether alternative programs or credentials might deliver better ROI. The debt load is manageable, but only if earnings improve substantially beyond year one.