Business Administration, Management and Operations at Prairie State College

Prairie State College's business administration program ranks in the bottom 10% of Illinois programs—and that's a critical concern when nearby community colleges are delivering significantly stronger outcomes. First-year earnings of $18,885 trail the state median by more than $24,000, and even after four years, graduates earn just $23,578. Compare that to College of DuPage at $46,497 or even Joliet Junior College at nearly $40,000, and you're looking at a roughly $20,000 annual earnings gap that compounds over a career.

The $12,500 debt load sits at Illinois' median, which would be manageable with typical community college earnings—but not at these income levels. A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66 means graduates are spending well over half their first year's salary just to break even, before accounting for living expenses. That 25% earnings growth is encouraging, but it's starting from such a low base that it doesn't fundamentally change the math.

With only 30 graduates in this cohort, these numbers might not reflect your child's experience. However, the dramatic gap between Prairie State and other Illinois community colleges suggests systemic issues worth investigating. Before committing, have a frank conversation with the career services office about job placement rates and typical employer partnerships. If business administration is the goal, programs at Harper or DuPage appear to offer substantially better returns on similar investments.