Educational Administration and Supervision at McDaniel College

At $89,315 in first-year earnings, McDaniel's educational leadership certificate performs right at the Maryland median and slightly above the national average—a solid middle-of-the-pack outcome. What's more interesting is the debt profile: graduates leave with just $16,318, which translates to a 0.18 debt-to-earnings ratio. That's manageable by any standard, though worth noting this puts it in the 95th percentile for debt nationally, meaning most similar programs carry even less debt burden. Still, paying off roughly 18% of your first year's salary is far from problematic.

The practical picture here is straightforward. Most students in these programs are already working educators adding credentials for administrative roles, so the modest debt load won't derail existing budgets. McDaniel sits comfortably between Hood College (which shows higher earnings at $93,577) and Johns Hopkins (lower at $84,623), suggesting program quality is reasonably competitive within Maryland's limited field of four schools.

The main caveat: this data reflects fewer than 30 graduates, so individual outcomes could vary more than usual. If your child is already teaching in Maryland and needs an administration credential without taking on significant debt, this program does what it needs to do—though comparing specific program details at Hood might be worth the effort given their earnings edge.