Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies at Montreat College

For a four-year degree, a debt load near $26,500 isn't crushing—the monthly payment would run around $300 for ten years. But when first-year earnings from comparable interdisciplinary studies programs hover around $35,000, you're looking at nearly a quarter of pre-tax income going to loan payments in those early years. That's manageable but tight, especially for a graduate navigating entry-level wages.

The real question with interdisciplinary studies is what your student plans to do with it. These programs can be launching pads for graduate school, creative careers, or fields where the degree itself matters less than skills and experience. But they can also leave graduates competing for jobs against candidates with more targeted credentials. At Montreat, with 40% of students on Pell grants, many families are stretching to afford this education—and the return on that investment depends heavily on how intentionally your student uses the degree.

If your child has a clear path—teaching credentials to add, a portfolio to build, or graduate school already in mind—this estimated debt-to-earnings picture is workable. If they're choosing interdisciplinary studies because they're unsure what else to pursue, that same debt becomes riskier. The flexibility of this major is both its strength and its challenge.