Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Southwest Baptist University

Southwest Baptist University's nursing program sits in an unusual position: it outperforms 60% of Missouri nursing programs in first-year earnings, yet ranks in just the 21st percentile nationally. This reflects Missouri's generally lower nursing wages rather than program quality issues. At $69,273, graduates start slightly above the state median and carry manageable debt at $29,171—a reasonable 0.42 ratio.

The real concern is the backward earnings trajectory. While most nursing careers see steady wage growth, Southwest Baptist graduates see their median earnings drop to $60,937 by year four, a 12% decline that's highly unusual for this field. This could reflect graduates moving from higher-paying hospital roles to lower-paying community health positions, or it might indicate challenges with career advancement and retention in competitive positions. The moderate sample size suggests this pattern is meaningful but worth monitoring.

For Missouri families, this program offers solid debt management and immediate employability, with starting salaries that work well in the state's lower cost-of-living areas. However, if your child aims for long-term earning potential or specialized nursing roles, programs like Research College of Nursing or University of Missouri-Columbia show more traditional upward earnings patterns. Southwest Baptist makes sense if staying local and minimizing debt are priorities, but the declining earnings trend warrants understanding what drives graduates' career paths after those first couple years.