Social Sciences at Le Moyne-Owen College

A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.72 sits right at the edge of what's considered manageable, but the real concern here is the dramatic gap between what peer social sciences programs nationally suggest ($37,459) and what Tennessee's few reporting programs actually deliver ($61,389 at Vanderbilt). Le Moyne-Owen serves a predominantly low-income student body—71% receive Pell grants—and without actual earnings data for its graduates, you're left wondering whether outcomes follow national patterns or fall short. At an estimated $26,975 in debt, repayment would consume roughly 11% of first-year income if earnings match the national median, but that's a much heavier burden if actual results come in lower.

What complicates the picture is that Tennessee has only three schools reporting social sciences bachelor's outcomes, making state comparisons unreliable. The national benchmark suggests modest but viable starting salaries, though social sciences careers often require graduate degrees for significant earnings growth. For a family already stretching financially, the question becomes whether this specific program prepares graduates for either immediate employment at competitive wages or successful admission to graduate school. Without concrete data from Le Moyne-Owen itself, you're making this investment based on assumptions drawn from dissimilar institutions. Before committing, demand transparent placement and earnings information directly from the college—where graduates work, what they earn, and how many pursue advanced degrees.