Hospitality Administration/Management at St. John's University-New York

St. John's hospitality program sits in an uncomfortable middle ground: earnings trail both national and state medians, yet debt approaches the national average. That first-year salary of $29,391 ranks in just the 15th percentile nationally—meaning 85% of comparable programs produce higher-earning graduates. Within New York specifically, it falls below the state median of $31,629, though not dramatically.

The 58% earnings growth to $46,456 by year four suggests the degree does create career mobility, eventually pushing above state and national benchmarks. That's meaningful. However, the modest debt load of $23,750—while manageable in absolute terms—looks less appealing when your child starts at under $30,000 annually. The real concern is opportunity cost: Cornell and NYU hospitality grads start near or above what St. John's grads earn after four years, and even SUNY Plattsburgh offers better initial outcomes.

Given the small sample size here, these numbers could shift considerably year to year. If your child is set on hospitality and values St. John's Queens location for internship access, this isn't a catastrophic choice. But the economics suggest looking hard at SUNY alternatives or the Culinary Institute of America, where starting salaries justify similar debt loads from day one.