Criminal Justice and Corrections at St. Mary's University

St. Mary's criminal justice graduates earn $30,237 in their first year—well below both the Texas median ($35,862) and national average ($37,856) for this degree. While the program sits at the 25th percentile among Texas schools, that still means three-quarters of similar programs in the state deliver better outcomes. The gap is stark: top Texas programs like Wayland Baptist and Texas A&M-Central Texas produce graduates earning $45,000-$53,000, nearly double what St. Mary's graduates see initially.

The $27,000 debt load appears manageable on paper, but paired with starting earnings barely above $30,000, it creates financial pressure that graduates of stronger programs avoid. Earnings do climb 22% to $37,000 by year four, eventually reaching closer to typical outcomes, but this means several lean years right after graduation when loan payments begin.

The critical caveat: this data reflects fewer than 30 graduates, so individual circumstances heavily influence these numbers. Still, consistently low rankings—5th percentile nationally, bottom quarter in Texas—suggest a pattern rather than statistical noise. For families paying private university tuition, there are demonstrably better options in Texas for criminal justice degrees, particularly at public universities where both earnings and tuition costs work more in students' favor.