Health and Medical Administrative Services at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Saint Mary's graduates from this healthcare administration program earn $51,660 their first year out—solid money that beats the national median by more than $7,000. The relatively modest debt load of $26,494 creates a manageable 0.51 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning graduates earn roughly double what they owe. That's a reasonable starting point for a career path that typically offers stable employment in a growing sector.

However, the Minnesota context reveals a puzzling picture. While this program ranks in the 78th percentile nationally, it falls to just the 40th percentile among Minnesota schools. Nearby competitors like Winona State and Concordia-Saint Paul report first-year earnings $9,000-$10,000 higher. Given that healthcare administration salaries are often regional, this gap suggests either that Saint Mary's graduates are entering lower-level administrative roles, or the small sample size (under 30 graduates) is skewing the data in ways that don't reflect typical outcomes.

For Minnesota families, this creates a dilemma: pay similar tuition for notably lower earnings compared to state alternatives, or trust that the small sample isn't telling the full story. If your child has specific reasons to choose Saint Mary's—location, campus fit, scholarship offers—the debt level won't crush them. But purely as a financial investment within Minnesota's healthcare administration landscape, stronger in-state options exist that deliver better early-career returns.