Behavioral Sciences at Missouri Baptist University

The limited data here—just two Missouri schools offer behavioral sciences degrees—makes interpretation challenging, but the available numbers suggest Missouri Baptist graduates start well behind national peers. That first-year salary of $30,147 trails the national median by over $5,000, placing this program in just the 21st percentile nationally. The silver lining is reasonable growth to $36,000 by year four, but even that improved figure barely reaches typical starting salaries elsewhere.

The debt picture looks manageable at first glance—$26,400 sits near national norms—but context matters. With starting earnings this low, you're looking at a debt-to-income ratio of 0.88, meaning graduates owe nearly a full year's salary. That's not catastrophic, but it stretches tighter than ideal when paychecks hover around $2,500 monthly before taxes. The 60th state percentile ranking is essentially meaningless since only two Missouri programs exist in this dataset.

The small sample size (under 30 graduates tracked) adds significant uncertainty. These numbers could shift dramatically with more data. If your family is considering this path, treat these figures as directional rather than definitive, and investigate whether specific career outcomes—counseling, social services, research—align with the lower earning trajectory. The earnings growth is encouraging, but starting $5,000 below national averages means playing catch-up from day one.