Psychology at Michigan State University

Michigan State's psychology program shows impressive earnings growth that sets it apart from typical bachelor's psychology outcomes. While graduates start at $30,164—slightly below the national average—their salaries jump 57% to $47,242 by year four, far outpacing the field's usual trajectory. This substantial growth suggests the program successfully prepares students for career advancement or graduate school pathways that lead to higher-paying positions.

The debt picture is reasonable at $25,250, creating a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.84 that's well within acceptable bounds. More importantly, Michigan State ranks in the 60th percentile among Michigan psychology programs despite charging less debt than the state median ($27,000), indicating solid value within the state. While the program doesn't crack the top tier of Michigan psychology schools initially, the strong earnings growth trajectory suggests graduates catch up over time.

For parents considering this investment, the key insight is that Michigan State psychology graduates experience unusually strong salary progression after that first year. The robust sample size gives confidence in these numbers, and the combination of reasonable debt with accelerating earnings creates a positive long-term financial outlook that many psychology programs simply don't deliver.