Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication at Sterling College

A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.65 sits right in the middle ground—not alarming, but requiring about eight months of gross income to clear the estimated $25,832 in loans. For a communications degree where peer programs nationally suggest first-year earnings around $39,800, this math works if your student lands steadily in their field. The challenge is that communications careers vary wildly in compensation, from entry-level agency work that might start below these estimates to corporate communications roles that can exceed them quickly.

What makes Sterling's position trickier to evaluate is the absence of reported outcomes data—both here and across Kansas programs in this field. You're essentially betting on national patterns holding true at a small liberal arts college in rural Kansas, where networking opportunities and industry connections differ substantially from urban campuses where most communications jobs cluster. The estimated debt figure comes from comparing Sterling to similar small private colleges nationally, not from actual graduate outcomes in this specific program.

The practical question is whether your student has a clear path to internships and entry-level positions in Wichita, Kansas City, or beyond. Communications degrees tend to reward students who build portfolios and connections aggressively during college. Without concrete data showing Sterling's graduates successfully launching careers in PR or advertising, you're relying heavily on your student's initiative to make this investment pay off within a reasonable timeframe.