Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies at Pacific University

Pacific University's interdisciplinary bachelor's shows a concerning gap with Oregon's job market realities. While peer programs nationally suggest first-year earnings around $35,000, similar programs within Oregon typically produce just $31,000—and even that figure comes from only one comparable program with reported data. The estimated $26,500 in debt would mean three-quarters of a year's salary going toward loan repayment, assuming the national benchmark holds true in Oregon's lower-wage environment.

The challenge with interdisciplinary degrees is they often lack clear career pathways, and without actual graduate outcomes from Pacific specifically, you're making an expensive bet on how employers will value this credential. Oregon's small sample size for this major—just five schools statewide offer it—suggests limited regional demand. At a school with a 92% admission rate, the question becomes whether Pacific's network and reputation can command better outcomes than the state baseline, or if graduates will face the same constrained opportunities evident in Eastern Oregon's reported $31,000 figure.

Given the uncertainty around both earnings and debt, you'd want concrete evidence that Pacific's program leads somewhere specific—employer partnerships, graduate school placement rates, or career outcomes data the school tracks internally. Without that proof, you're financing a degree whose value proposition remains largely theoretical.