Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods at Mount St. Mary's University

Maryland's strong public school salaries lift this program above the typical teaching degree. Similar education programs across the state suggest first-year earnings around $52,000—nearly $10,000 above the national median for teaching graduates. That's a meaningful difference when you're facing $23,250 in debt, putting you in position to pay down loans more aggressively than teachers starting careers in many other states.

The debt load here sits below both state and national medians for education majors, which matters given teaching's predictable but modest salary trajectory. The 0.45 debt-to-earnings ratio means borrowing less than half of first-year income—manageable territory for a profession where raises follow structured schedules. However, Mount St. Mary's 75th percentile debt ranking nationally signals this program costs more than three-quarters of comparable teaching programs, even if the absolute dollar amount seems reasonable.

What's harder to gauge is how Mount St. Mary's specifically prepares graduates for Maryland's competitive teaching market. The school's small cohort size (which triggered the data suppression) could mean personalized attention or limited student-teaching networks—you can't tell from estimates alone. If your child is committed to teaching in Maryland public schools, the state's salary advantage helps offset uncertainty. But dig into placement rates and where recent graduates actually land jobs before committing to private school tuition for a public service career.