Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas at Purdue University Fort Wayne

Purdue Fort Wayne's teacher education program carries slightly higher debt than typical for the field, yet delivers earnings that trail most Indiana competitors by $2,500-6,000 annually. While graduates here earn just above the national median, they land in the 40th percentile among Indiana programs—a meaningful gap in a state where teaching salaries can vary significantly by district and placement.

The $30,000 debt load ranks in just the 5th percentile nationally (meaning 95% of similar programs saddle students with less debt), though the 0.69 debt-to-earnings ratio remains manageable for an education degree. Compare this to Franklin College graduates earning $49,725 or IU Indianapolis grads at $47,755—that's $4,000-6,000 more per year, which compounds to real money over a teaching career. For a moderately selective regional campus (86% acceptance), these outcomes suggest the program gets students certified and employed, but doesn't position them as competitively as flagship or private alternatives within Indiana.

The practical implication: if your child can access IU Indianapolis or even University of Indianapolis at similar cost, those programs deliver measurably stronger starting salaries. If Purdue Fort Wayne offers significant tuition advantages or geographic convenience for living at home, the debt level becomes more defensible. But paying similar out-of-pocket costs here means accepting below-median Indiana outcomes in a field where every thousand dollars of starting salary matters.