Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods at Mercer University

Mercer's education program graduates carry nearly twice the debt of their peers across Georgia—$47,750 versus a state median of $26,500—while earning less than the typical Georgia education graduate. With first-year earnings of $39,715, graduates face debt loads that exceed their entire first year's salary, a ratio that puts this program in the bottom 5% nationally for debt burden.

The earnings trajectory offers modest relief: salaries grow 9% to $43,306 by year four, but that still trails what graduates from Georgia's public universities earn right out of the gate. Georgia State, UGA, and Georgia College all start their education graduates above $46,000—roughly $6,500 more annually than Mercer graduates earn after four years in the classroom. Among Georgia's 40 education programs, Mercer ranks in just the 40th percentile for earnings despite charging tuition that leads to debt loads in the 95th percentile.

For families considering Mercer's education program, the financial calculus is straightforward: you'll pay private school tuition to access a teaching job market that pays the same regardless of where you earned your degree. Georgia's public universities produce teachers who out-earn Mercer graduates while typically carrying half the debt. Unless Mercer offers specific scholarships that dramatically reduce that $47,750 debt load, Georgia's public education programs deliver the same credential for substantially less financial burden.