Hospitality Administration/Management at Stephen F Austin State University

Stephen F. Austin's hospitality management program starts graduates at just $30,758—well below what the typical Texas hospitality graduate earns. Among the ten Texas schools offering this degree, this program ranks in the bottom quartile for earnings, trailing leaders like Texas Tech ($41,506) and UT Austin by over $10,000 annually. That gap isn't trivial when you're paying off student loans.

The positive story here is the earnings trajectory: graduates see a solid 28% income boost by year four, reaching $39,252. That's encouraging growth, though it still leaves them behind where many peers started. The $25,000 debt load is slightly above the Texas median, creating an 0.81 debt-to-earnings ratio that's workable but not comfortable—graduates will likely dedicate a meaningful chunk of their first-year income to loan payments.

If your child is passionate about hospitality and drawn to the smaller college environment in East Texas, this program can work—but they should know they're accepting lower starting pay than they'd likely see at other Texas public universities. The earnings growth suggests the degree has value, but financially, programs at Texas Tech, UNT, or even UT San Antonio offer stronger returns from day one.