Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods at Saint Ambrose University

Saint Ambrose's management sciences program produces first-year earnings of $49,039—roughly $10,000 below Iowa's median for this degree and $13,000 under the national benchmark. While the debt load is actually quite manageable at $26,935 (lower than both state and national norms), the earnings gap is significant enough that this ranks in just the 25th percentile among Iowa programs. Drake and University of Iowa graduates in this field earn 63% and 43% more respectively, though Saint Ambrose's debt burden is considerably lighter than those institutions.

The 14% earnings growth to $55,828 by year four helps somewhat, but doesn't close the gap meaningfully. A student graduating with near-average debt here will owe about half their first-year salary—workable, but only if they're comfortable with starting compensation well below what most management sciences graduates command. The program serves a different market than Iowa's top-tier options: if your child is looking at Saint Ambrose for affordability or fit reasons rather than pure career outcomes, the reasonable debt load provides some cushion against the lower earnings. But if maximizing starting salary matters, the data suggests looking elsewhere in Iowa, where public universities offer substantially stronger employment outcomes for this particular degree.