Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies at Saginaw Valley State University

The first-year earnings here tell a difficult story: at $23,298, graduates earn about $5,000 less than the typical Michigan rhetoric grad and land in just the 22nd percentile nationally. While earnings do climb meaningfully to $35,518 by year four—a 53% jump—that starting salary creates real financial pressure when paired with $30,432 in debt. You're essentially asking your child to manage debt 1.3 times their first-year income on an entry-level salary that falls well below what comparable programs deliver.

Within Michigan's 22 writing programs, this ranks at the 40th percentile—middle of the pack statewide but trailing schools like Oakland ($34,464) and Michigan State ($33,401) by substantial margins even at year four. The small sample size (under 30 graduates) adds uncertainty to these figures, so they may not reflect typical outcomes. What's clear is that this particular program doesn't appear to be preparing students for the stronger-earning paths that writing degrees can lead to—communications roles, content strategy, or technical writing typically pay more than what we're seeing here.

If your child is set on this field, they'd likely see better returns at one of Michigan's higher-performing programs. The combination of below-average starting pay and above-average debt creates a challenging financial runway that could limit post-graduation flexibility.