Criminal Justice and Corrections at King University

King University's Criminal Justice program graduates start at $33,580—below both the Tennessee median ($35,917) and national average ($37,856). Within Tennessee's 25 programs, this falls right in the middle at the 40th percentile, but that middle position looks less competitive when you see what's possible: nearby Bethel University graduates earn $54,207 in their first year, and even large public schools like Middle Tennessee State outperform King by over $4,000 annually. The debt load of $22,702 is actually lower than typical for this field, creating a reasonable 0.68 debt-to-earnings ratio that should be manageable to pay off.

The catch here is sample size—fewer than 30 recent graduates reported data, which means these figures could swing significantly with just a few outliers. That said, the pattern is consistent: graduates are starting in entry-level criminal justice roles that don't command premium salaries. For a family considering this program, the question becomes whether King's smaller environment and personal attention justify earning roughly $2,300 less annually than Tennessee's state median.

If your child is set on criminal justice and values King's campus culture, the modest debt keeps this from being a risky choice. But families purely focused on career outcomes should compare carefully with in-state public options or programs with demonstrated higher placement rates in better-paying law enforcement and corrections positions.