International Business at Salem College

Based on comparable programs nationwide, an International Business bachelor's degree yields first-year earnings around $49,890—a figure that mirrors both national and North Carolina medians for this field. The estimated $25,000 debt load translates to a manageable 0.50 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning graduates would owe roughly half their first-year salary. That's a workable starting point, though it assumes steady employment in a business role.

What complicates the picture for Salem College specifically is that both earnings and debt figures are estimates drawn from peer institutions, not tracked outcomes from this program's actual graduates. The small graduate sample that triggered data suppression might reflect the college's size and focus (it's a historically women's college with under 1,000 students), but it also means you're making decisions without program-specific evidence. Other North Carolina schools show International Business graduates earning anywhere from $44,000 to $53,000, suggesting considerable variation even within the state.

The fundamentals look reasonable: the debt burden isn't alarming, and the field generally produces employable graduates. But without concrete data showing where Salem's International Business alumni actually land, you're essentially betting that this small program will perform like the national average. If your daughter thrives in Salem's intimate environment and has clear internship or job connections, that bet might pay off. If not, larger NC programs with proven outcomes offer less guesswork.