Business/Corporate Communications at Marquette University

Marquette's Business Communications program lands squarely in the middle tier for Wisconsin, but that's not necessarily where parents want to be when paying private school tuition. Graduates earn about $40,000 in their first year—roughly $1,600 below both the national and state medians for this degree. While the debt load of $24,187 is manageable at 0.61 times first-year earnings, University of Wisconsin-River Falls graduates earn $3,300 more annually with similar debt levels, a significant gap that compounds over time.

The 25th percentile national ranking reveals this program struggles to compete beyond Wisconsin's borders. Even within the state's limited field of three programs, it sits at the 40th percentile, suggesting UW-River Falls is capturing stronger outcomes. For a program at a university with an 87% acceptance rate and moderate selectivity (1306 SAT average), these earnings suggest the Marquette premium isn't translating to career outcomes in this particular field.

The math is straightforward: if you're paying in-state tuition at UW-River Falls, you'll likely graduate with similar debt but earn notably more right away. If Marquette is offering substantial aid or your child values its urban Milwaukee location and private school environment for non-financial reasons, the debt burden won't be crushing. But purely as an ROI decision for corporate communications, this program doesn't justify a significant price premium over the public alternative.