Hospitality Administration/Management at Southeast Missouri State University

Southeast Missouri State's hospitality program graduates earn $34,395 in their first year—about $2,000 below Missouri's median for this field and trailing the state's top programs by $4,500. That 40th percentile ranking among Missouri schools suggests this program struggles to compete with peers in-state, where many hospitality students naturally look first. The positive development is steady earnings growth to $41,252 by year four, a 20% increase that outpaces many hospitality programs where earnings often stagnate.

The debt picture provides the clearest advantage here: graduates typically owe just $18,750, roughly $4,500 less than the Missouri average and $5,000 below the national median. That creates a manageable 0.55 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning graduates owe about seven months of their first year's salary rather than the nine or ten months typical elsewhere. For students planning careers in hospitality—a field that rarely commands premium starting salaries—this lighter debt load matters considerably.

Given the small sample size (under 30 graduates tracked), these numbers could shift with more data. Still, the core tradeoff is clear: below-average Missouri earnings in exchange for notably lower debt. For students committed to hospitality and confident they'll land jobs near the state median, the reduced financial burden makes this workable. Those seeking the highest Missouri salaries in this field should look at Mizzou or Missouri State instead.