Marketing at Rhode Island College

Rhode Island College's marketing program starts rough but tells a story of significant growth. First-year graduates earn $36,474—putting them in just the 5th percentile nationally and trailing every other marketing program in Rhode Island by substantial margins. That's $7,800 below the state median and nearly $8,300 below the national average. But four years out, earnings jump 35% to $49,096, surpassing both state and national medians and approaching what Bryant graduates make right out of the gate.

The relatively modest debt load of $19,500 is the program's strongest selling point, coming in about $7,000 below the state median. This means the debt-to-first-year-earnings ratio of 0.53 is manageable even with those low initial earnings. Still, the trajectory matters: your child would likely spend several years earning significantly less than peers from other Rhode Island schools, even if they eventually catch up. That early earnings gap could affect everything from apartment choices to savings capacity during formative career years.

For families prioritizing affordability over starting salary, this program offers a pathway into marketing without crushing debt. But if your child has options at URI or higher, those programs deliver $10,000+ more in year-one earnings—a head start that compounds over time, even accounting for likely higher debt loads.