Computer Programming at Siena Heights University

A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.62 sounds reasonable on paper, but the story shifts dramatically when you look at what other Michigan schools achieve. While comparable programs nationally suggest first-year earnings around $50,000 for this degree, the University of Michigan-Dearborn—the only program in the state with reported data—shows graduates earning $80,830, with lower debt loads at $19,723. That's a $30,000 annual earnings gap and roughly $11,000 more in debt.

These estimates come from peer programs nationally since Siena Heights' graduate sample is too small for the DOE to publish specific outcomes. For a family paying private-school prices, that matters considerably. The monthly loan payment on $31,000 would run around $350 for ten years—manageable at $80,000 but taking a bigger bite at $50,000. Michigan's tech market clearly supports higher salaries for computer programming graduates, but whether this program positions students to capture those opportunities remains uncertain without actual placement data.

If your child is set on this school for fit or other reasons, push the career services office hard on specifics: where do graduates actually land jobs, and what do they earn? Without that transparency, you're betting $31,000 in debt on outcomes that might fall well short of what Michigan's market typically delivers for this credential.