International/Global Studies at Spelman College

Spelman's International/Global Studies program shows an unusual trajectory that's hard to evaluate given the very small sample size—but the pattern suggests students may face a challenging first year before seeing strong income growth. At $25,753, first-year earnings lag significantly behind the national median of $32,819 for this field, placing graduates in just the 10th percentile nationally. However, within Georgia's limited landscape of six programs, this performs at the state median, suggesting the low initial earnings may reflect regional market conditions rather than program weakness.

The story improves dramatically by year four, when median earnings jump to $62,129—a 141% increase that far exceeds typical growth for humanities-focused degrees. This could indicate graduates successfully transition into international business, nonprofit leadership, or related fields that value experience. The $27,000 debt load is actually quite manageable and sits below both national and state medians for this program, making the debt-to-earnings ratio less alarming than it initially appears.

The critical caveat: these figures represent fewer than 30 graduates, so they may not reliably predict your child's outcome. One or two graduates with exceptional career paths could skew the four-year number upward. If your daughter is drawn to Spelman's strong community and mission, this program isn't a financial dealbreaker—but she should plan for a potentially lean first year and pursue internships aggressively to accelerate that earnings trajectory.