Criminal Justice and Corrections at Mount Mary University

Wisconsin criminal justice bachelor's programs show a dramatic split—some Herzing campuses report first-year earnings exceeding $67,000, while public universities and comparable private colleges cluster around $41,000 to $42,000. Mount Mary's estimated outcomes fall squarely in this lower tier, with projections based on peer programs suggesting roughly $41,500 in first-year earnings against $27,700 in debt. That 0.67 debt-to-earnings ratio is manageable, slightly better than the national criminal justice median, but the earnings ceiling matters more than the debt floor here.

The challenge is that criminal justice careers vary wildly in compensation. Similar Wisconsin programs suggest graduates enter roles in corrections, probation, or security—positions that rarely crack $45,000 initially. The Herzing outliers likely reflect different student populations pursuing specialized law enforcement tracks or already employed students advancing within agencies. For a traditional-age student at Mount Mary, the more conservative earnings estimate is probably the realistic one. With 58% of students receiving Pell grants, many families here are counting on quick payback, and at these income levels, that timeline stretches longer than it might appear.

This program makes financial sense if your child has clear law enforcement connections or agency interest, where earnings can climb substantially after those first years. But if they're exploring criminal justice broadly? The debt is reasonable, yet the initial payoff underwhelms compared to what those top-line Wisconsin numbers might suggest is possible.