Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Southeast Missouri Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences

The debt-to-earnings math here looks manageable—peer nursing programs in Missouri suggest approximately $28,500 in debt against first-year earnings around $69,000. That 0.41 ratio means roughly five months of gross pay to cover the full debt load, which is reasonable for a healthcare credential. However, it's worth noting that this sits about $6,000 below the national median for nursing bachelor's degrees, and several Missouri programs report significantly higher outcomes, with top performers seeing graduates earn $75,000 to $83,000 in their first year.

The challenge is that these figures come entirely from comparable programs—the college's own graduate cohort is too small for the Department of Education to report publicly. This isn't a red flag about the program's quality (small nursing programs can be excellent), but it does mean you're making this decision without school-specific outcome data. The 100% admission rate and modest SAT scores suggest an accessible program serving a local workforce need, which aligns with the solid but not exceptional estimated earnings.

For families, this comes down to whether you're comfortable with baseline nursing outcomes in Missouri. The estimated debt is modest and the career is stable, but if your student is competitive for Research College of Nursing or Mizzou—both reporting $72,000+ for their graduates—those might deliver better returns with only marginally higher debt. This program makes sense if geography or fit matter more than maximizing that first paycheck.