Geography and Cartography at Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

Geography and cartography programs nationally produce median first-year earnings around $39,000, which is where LSU's program appears to land based on peer institutions. With estimated debt of $22,000, graduates would face monthly payments around $250 on a standard 10-year plan—manageable at about 8% of gross monthly income. This debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.58 falls comfortably below the concerning 1.0 threshold where debt equals a full year's salary.

The challenge here is the limited data. When federal agencies suppress earnings and debt figures due to small graduate cohorts, it signals either a very small program or inconsistent graduation numbers. For geography specifically, this matters because the field splits into distinct career paths—some graduates move toward GIS analysis and urban planning (higher-paying), while others pursue education or environmental surveying (more modest starting salaries). Without program-specific outcomes, you're relying on national averages that may not reflect LSU's particular strengths or regional employer connections in Louisiana's energy and coastal management sectors.

If your child is serious about this major at LSU, the estimation uncertainty means you should dig deeper: talk to the department about recent graduate placements, verify their GIS technology resources, and confirm whether internships connect to Louisiana's robust oil, environmental consulting, and government mapping sectors. The national benchmarks suggest reasonable outcomes, but you need program-specific evidence to justify the investment.