Health and Medical Administrative Services at Southwest Baptist University

A two-year degree costing $27,000 in estimated debt is a substantial investment for first-year earnings around $34,882, though these figures—drawn from similar programs across Missouri and nationally—suggest this path falls squarely in the middle of what health administration associate's degrees typically deliver. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.77 means roughly nine months of gross income would go toward paying off loans, which is manageable but not exceptional. With Missouri's community colleges producing comparable outcomes at likely lower cost—State Fair graduates earn an estimated $36,652, for instance—the private university premium here seems modest at best.

What makes this harder to assess is Southwest Baptist's 100% admission rate and the fact that actual graduate outcomes aren't available for this specific program. Similar programs in Missouri cluster tightly around $35,000 in first-year earnings, so there's little room for this program to dramatically outperform or underperform expectations. The national data confirms this is a credential with fairly predictable, modest returns wherever you earn it.

If your child is drawn to Southwest Baptist for reasons beyond earnings—faith-based environment, campus culture, specific faculty—then these estimated numbers won't derail that decision. But if the choice is purely financial, exploring Missouri's community college options could deliver similar career outcomes with significantly less debt. The key question is whether the additional cost buys something your family values beyond the credential itself.