Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at Metropolitan State University of Denver

Something unusual happens with this program's earnings trajectory: the four-year figure of $44,863 sits well below the estimated first-year mark of $60,447, based on national peer programs. This backward movement is rare and could signal several possibilities—perhaps graduates initially work in clinical settings before transitioning to lower-paid administrative roles, or the small sample size behind these numbers is creating noise in the data. What's clear is that the estimated $26,500 in debt (roughly half the first-year income estimate) looks manageable on paper, but only if those higher early earnings actually materialize for Metro State graduates.

The challenge is that with both earnings and debt derived from peer programs rather than this school's actual outcomes, you're making decisions on borrowed assumptions. Colorado Mesa reports $54,004 for similar programs—closer to the four-year figure here than the estimated first-year one—which raises questions about whether Metro State's trajectory follows the national pattern at all. For a family looking at over $26,000 in borrowing, that uncertainty matters.

If your child is set on allied health at Metro State, dig deeper into what specific concentration this degree offers and where recent graduates actually land. The debt level won't sink them if the career path is solid, but you need clarity on whether this program leads to the higher-earning clinical roles or something else entirely.