Special Education and Teaching at Marian University

Based on comparable special education programs in Wisconsin, this bachelor's degree appears to position graduates right at the state median with estimated first-year earnings around $47,000. That's a solid starting point for teaching—just behind UW-Madison's $50,000 but notably ahead of the national median of $44,000. Special education teachers tend to see relatively stable, predictable career trajectories with decent benefits, which matters when evaluating return on investment.

The estimated $27,000 in debt yields a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.57, meaning graduates would owe about seven months' salary. That's slightly above both state and national benchmarks for this program but still within reasonable bounds for an education degree. Most special education teachers can expect loan payments that consume around 10-12% of their monthly income—tight but workable on a public school salary, especially with access to teacher loan forgiveness programs.

The real limitation here is uncertainty. With no reported outcomes from Marian itself, you're essentially betting that their program performs like the Wisconsin average. For a field with relatively standardized credentialing and similar salaries across the state, that's a safer assumption than it would be in, say, business or communications. But if strong placement support or particular district connections matter to you, you'll need to verify those directly with the school—the numbers alone can't tell you whether Marian delivers on par with its peers.