Education at Smith College

Smith College graduates with education degrees earn less than the national median in their first year ($33,737 versus $38,660), but here's the critical context: they're carrying $7,500 less debt than typical education majors, and they're outperforming more than half of Massachusetts education programs. At 60th percentile for earnings in a state with premium cost of living, that positioning matters more than the national comparison might suggest.

The real story emerges over time. That $33,737 starting salary jumps to over $50,000 by year four—a 50% increase that suggests these graduates are securing positions with genuine advancement potential. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.56 is manageable for an education major, especially given the low absolute debt load. You're looking at roughly one semester's teaching salary to cover the entire debt burden, which is far better than the field's typical picture.

The major caveat: this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, so individual outcomes could vary substantially from these medians. Still, for families who can manage Smith's sticker price and value the college's strong liberal arts foundation, this program delivers competitive outcomes for Massachusetts. The relatively low debt combined with solid mid-career earnings suggests graduates aren't sacrificing financial stability to enter teaching—a concern that plagues many education programs at schools with higher debt loads.