Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Southern Missouri Technical Institute

Southern Missouri Technical Institute's practical nursing program ranks near the bottom for earnings outcomes—13th percentile nationally and 25th percentile in Missouri, where the state median is $43,355. Graduates here earn $31,297 in their first year, roughly $12,000 less than typical Missouri practical nursing graduates and $13,000 below the national benchmark. To put this in perspective, the top programs in the state produce earnings nearly double what graduates here see: North Central Missouri College's program shows $59,889, while several others exceed $50,000. This isn't a small gap—it's a fundamental difference in earning power.

The saving grace is the relatively modest debt load of $9,500, which is actually lower than both state and national averages. This creates a manageable 0.30 debt-to-earnings ratio that graduates can reasonably handle. However, the low debt doesn't change the fact that these graduates are entering the workforce at a significant earnings disadvantage that will compound over time.

For families considering this program, the question isn't whether you can afford the debt—it's whether settling for bottom-quartile earnings makes sense when Missouri has 33 practical nursing programs to choose from, many with dramatically stronger outcomes. Unless geographic constraints make this the only viable option, the data suggests looking elsewhere within the state's offerings.