Hospitality Administration/Management at Northern Michigan University

Northern Michigan's hospitality program produces some of the lowest starting salaries in the state—just $21,074 in the first year, putting it in the bottom 10th percentile among Michigan hospitality programs. That's roughly $13,000 below the state median and less than half what Michigan State graduates earn. While earnings do climb substantially to $37,574 by year four, graduates start with $31,000 in debt, creating a challenging first few years where debt exceeds annual income by 50%.

The small sample size here (under 30 graduates tracked) means these numbers could shift with more data, but the pattern is concerning enough to note. Even after strong earnings growth, four-year graduates still earn less than the typical Michigan hospitality graduate makes in year one. The location in Michigan's Upper Peninsula may limit immediate career opportunities, which could explain the weak starting salaries—hospitality jobs in Marquette simply don't pay what they do in Detroit or Grand Rapids.

For a family considering this program, the question is whether attending school in Marquette is worth starting your career $10,000+ behind peers at state schools like Grand Valley or Central Michigan. Unless your student is specifically drawn to the UP and willing to accept several years of financial constraint, stronger-performing programs elsewhere in Michigan offer better returns on the same investment.