Sustainability Studies at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

Earning just $25,169 one year after completing this certificate—barely above minimum wage—should concern any parent considering this as an investment. While Pennsylvania's sustainability certificate programs generally underperform the national median of $37,592, Slippery Rock's outcomes rank in just the 5th percentile nationally and trail every other Pennsylvania school offering this credential, including University of Pittsburgh graduates who earn $40,485.

The debt picture compounds the problem: graduates carry $26,000 in loans (higher than both state and national medians) while earning less than they owe. This 1.03 debt-to-earnings ratio means a student would need their entire first year's salary just to pay off their loans—an unsustainable position that typically signals serious repayment challenges ahead.

The caveat here is critical: this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, so these numbers might not reflect typical outcomes. Still, when a program ranks dead last nationally among 41 schools, the pattern is hard to ignore. If your child is interested in sustainability, they'd be better served by completing a traditional degree in environmental science, business, or policy—fields with clearer career paths and stronger earning potential. A certificate rarely justifies $26,000 in debt when it leads to near-poverty wages.