Public Health at MCPHS University

MCPHS's public health bachelor's carries a $27,000 debt load—right at the state median—but the earnings picture relies entirely on what similar Massachusetts programs produce since this school's graduate sample is too small for the DOE to publish. Based on five comparable programs in the state, public health graduates typically earn around $43,000 in their first year, which creates a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.63. That's better than most college programs nationally, where graduates often carry debt equal to or exceeding their first-year salary.

The challenge is uncertainty. MCPHS may be preparing students as well as Simmons ($45,331) or as modestly as UMass-Amherst ($37,364)—we simply don't know because too few graduates are tracked. The $43,000 estimate comes from the middle of that range, but your child could land anywhere within it depending on how effectively this program connects students to employers. The 85% admission rate and modest test scores suggest this isn't competing directly with Tufts's $53,000 outcomes, but it could reasonably match the state's mid-tier programs.

At $27,000 in debt, the program won't bury your child financially if those typical outcomes hold, but you're betting on comparable performance without school-specific evidence. If your child has admission offers from UMass-Lowell or Simmons—both with actual earnings data at similar levels—those represent less risk for potentially similar returns.