Computer and Information Sciences at Maryville College

A bachelor's in computer science carries significant earning potential, but when based on just five reporting programs across Tennessee, the estimated $58,060 first-year earnings for this field merits careful consideration. That figure sits right at Tennessee's median but lags about $3,000 behind the national benchmark of $61,322—a gap that could reflect regional salary differences or the limitations of extrapolating from such a small sample of state programs.

The estimated $25,860 in debt produces a manageable 0.45 debt-to-earnings ratio, suggesting graduates could realistically handle loan payments while building their careers. Comparable programs nationally carry similar debt loads (median $25,000), and tech fields typically offer enough salary growth to justify these borrowing levels. However, the real question is whether Maryville's specific outcomes—which remain unknown due to data suppression—align with these peer institutions, or whether they track closer to higher-performing Tennessee programs like Strayer ($67,315) or lower-performing ones like King University ($49,926).

For families willing to accept this uncertainty, the fundamentals look reasonable: computer science degrees generally pay off, and the estimated debt burden isn't alarming. But you're essentially betting on Maryville's program performing somewhere in the middle of Tennessee's broad range without direct evidence of where its graduates actually land.