Management Information Systems and Services at Pacific Union College

California's MIS programs show enormous variation in outcomes, with top performers like Santa Clara delivering $93,000 first-year earnings while others cluster in the $60,000 range. Based on comparable bachelor's programs in the state, Pacific Union College graduates likely fall in the middle of this pack—solid tech-sector earnings of around $61,000, but nowhere near what the state's elite programs produce. That's about average for MIS nationally and matches what most CA programs deliver.

The estimated $26,500 debt load creates a manageable 0.43 debt-to-earnings ratio, better than many fields but higher than what similar CA programs typically produce (around $20,000). For context, the national median for MIS bachelor's programs is $24,000. This is a financially viable path—tech skills command decent starting salaries even from mid-tier programs—but your child would graduate with notably more debt than peers at California's public universities offering the same degree.

The real question is whether Pacific Union's specific value—smaller classes, faith-based community, personal attention—justifies both the higher debt and the earnings gap compared to UC Irvine or the CSU system. If those factors matter deeply to your family, this works financially. If you're purely optimizing for career outcomes, California's public options in MIS typically offer similar earnings with significantly less debt.