International/Global Studies at Middle Tennessee State University

At $30,365 in first-year earnings, this program trails both the Tennessee state median ($36,378) and national average ($32,819) for International Studies degrees, landing in just the 25th percentile among Tennessee programs. That gap widens when you consider there are only six schools offering this program in-state—meaning MTSU's outcomes fall near the bottom of a small peer group. The debt burden of $23,850 exceeds both state and national medians, creating an unfavorable starting position even though the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79 isn't extreme.

The 20% earnings growth to $36,496 by year four helps close the gap with state and national benchmarks, but graduates still lag behind peers from comparable programs. With such a small sample size (under 30 graduates tracked), these numbers could swing significantly with just a few outliers, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about typical outcomes.

For parents weighing this program, the core concern is whether Tennessee-specific career opportunities exist that might offset the below-average early earnings. If your student has strong international interests but flexibility on majors, programs like The University of the South's ($42,390 first-year earnings) demonstrate significantly better outcomes in Tennessee. The modest debt load prevents this from being a financial disaster, but you're essentially betting on mid-career growth that isn't yet reflected in the four-year data.