Hospitality Administration/Management at San Diego State University

San Diego State's hospitality program starts strong but shows a troubling reversal: graduates earn $40,000 in their first year—ranking in the 86th percentile nationally and well above the California median of $34,153—but see their salaries drop to just $32,138 by year four. That's a 20% decline at a time when most graduates are climbing the career ladder, not sliding down it. While the program performs better than 60% of California hospitality programs initially, something about how this translates to mid-career momentum isn't working.

The good news is debt. At $17,749, SDSU graduates carry roughly $6,000 less than the national median and only slightly more than the California average. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.44 is manageable, assuming those early earnings hold steady—which they clearly don't. For a moderately selective program serving a substantial population of Pell-eligible students, this debt level represents responsible management.

For parents, the question is whether your child can leverage that strong first-year salary into something sustainable, perhaps by moving to management faster than typical graduates or pivoting within hospitality. The earnings trajectory suggests many graduates either face industry-specific challenges or struggle with career progression after initial entry-level positions. If your student is entrepreneurial or plans to advance quickly into management, the low debt and strong starting point create opportunity. If they're more likely to stay in typical hospitality roles, those declining earnings should concern you.