Marketing at Mount Mercy University

Mount Mercy's marketing program starts graduates around $40,690—roughly $7,000 below what typical Iowa marketing grads earn and about $4,000 under the national median. Among Iowa's 15 marketing programs, this ranks at just the 40th percentile, trailing not only flagship schools like Iowa and Iowa State but also regional competitors like Upper Iowa and Drake by $10,000 or more. The positive here is debt: at $27,000, it's slightly above the national median but manageable, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66 that won't crush new graduates.

Earnings do grow to $44,892 by year four—a 10% increase—which suggests graduates can advance once they establish themselves in the workforce. However, even that four-year number barely reaches what many Iowa marketing grads earn right out of school. The small sample size (under 30 graduates tracked) adds uncertainty to these figures, meaning your child's experience could vary significantly.

For families paying in-state private tuition at Mount Mercy, this represents a tough value equation. Unless there are compelling personal reasons to attend—location, campus culture, specific relationships—Iowa's public universities deliver stronger marketing outcomes at likely lower cost. If Mount Mercy is the right fit for other reasons, make sure your student leverages internships and networking aggressively to beat these medians.