Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services at Syracuse University

Syracuse University's Family and Consumer Sciences Business Services program commands a significant premium—graduates earn 37% more than the national median for this field—but you're essentially paying for Syracuse's brand and network rather than for program scarcity. With just 16 schools nationwide offering this specialized degree, the national comparison is less meaningful than it first appears. The real question is whether $27,000 in debt (slightly above the national norm for this program) is justified for a starting salary of $55,192.

The financial fundamentals are solid: a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.49 means your child could theoretically pay off loans in less than a year if they committed every dollar earned, and earnings grow steadily to nearly $62,000 by year four. However, as the only New York school reporting data for this program, there's no state-level competition to benchmark against, making it difficult to assess regional value. The moderate sample size also means one or two high-earning alumni could be skewing these numbers upward.

For families who can afford Syracuse's full cost of attendance without excessive borrowing, this program delivers reasonable outcomes. But if your child is taking on debt beyond the $27,000 median, scrutinize whether this specific major—rather than a related business or consumer sciences degree at a less expensive institution—is worth the investment. The "premium" here may be more about where your child goes than what they study.