Geography and Cartography at Northern Arizona University

Similar geography programs in Arizona suggest first-year earnings around $49,267—notably above the national median of $38,726 for this field. With estimated debt of $28,500 based on comparable Northern Arizona University bachelor's programs, graduates would be facing payments of roughly $320 monthly on a standard repayment plan while earning just over $4,100 monthly before taxes. That's a manageable 0.58 debt-to-earnings ratio, though not without requiring careful budgeting in those early years.

The challenge here is that we're working entirely from estimates—both the earnings and debt figures come from the handful of other geography programs in Arizona and similar programs at NAU, not from tracking actual graduates of this specific program. The small sample size that triggered data suppression could mean anything from a new program to one with very few graduates, making it harder to predict individual outcomes with confidence. What we do know is that Arizona's geography market appears stronger than the national average, and NAU's debt loads for similar programs fall within reasonable bounds.

For parents weighing this investment, the estimated numbers suggest viability rather than cause for alarm, but you're essentially betting on the state's geographic labor market without program-specific evidence. If your student is genuinely committed to cartography or GIS work—fields with growing demand in environmental management, urban planning, and tech—the trajectory makes sense. If they're uncertain about the career path, the lack of concrete data from this program adds another layer of risk to consider.