Criminal Justice and Corrections at St. Thomas Aquinas College

St. Thomas Aquinas College's Criminal Justice program starts alarmingly low—first-year earnings of $28,000 put graduates in the bottom 5% nationally and leave them earning less than many retail managers. While the debt load of $25,000 is manageable in absolute terms, it represents nearly a full year's salary initially, creating real financial strain for recent graduates. The program performs below both the New York median ($35,291) and national average ($37,856) in those critical early years.

The dramatic 96% earnings growth to $54,784 by year four suggests graduates eventually find their footing, likely moving into supervisory or specialized roles in corrections or law enforcement. However, this delayed trajectory means several years of financial difficulty while peers from stronger programs (like Excelsior University's $62,703 median or SUNY Delhi's $38,416) establish themselves more quickly. Even at the four-year mark, graduates still trail top performers in the state by significant margins.

For families considering this program, the math is challenging: four years of very modest earnings followed by decent but not exceptional income. If your child has connections to law enforcement agencies that explicitly recruit from St. Thomas Aquinas or plans to pursue graduate education that could accelerate advancement, this path might work. Otherwise, SUNY Delhi offers stronger early earnings at likely lower tuition, making it a more straightforward investment in this competitive field.