Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management at Temple University

Temple's information technology certificate stands out nationally with graduates earning $81,170 in their first year—nearly double the $42,271 national median for similar programs. While debt figures come from comparable certificate programs at Temple rather than this specific program's graduates, the estimated $12,000 in borrowing creates a remarkably low debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.15, meaning graduates could theoretically pay off their loans with less than two months' salary.

The earnings figure deserves scrutiny. At the 95th percentile nationally but only the 60th percentile in Pennsylvania, these numbers likely reflect Philadelphia's concentration of tech employers rather than the certificate's unique value. In fact, $81,170 matches Pennsylvania's state median exactly for IT certificates, suggesting this program performs right in line with local market rates rather than outperforming them. For a school with an 83% admission rate, these outcomes probably owe more to employer demand than program selectivity.

The practical case is straightforward: if the estimated $12,000 debt figure holds and your child can land one of those $81,000 jobs, this is manageable borrowing for solid earnings. The risk is that "certificate" means different things to different employers, and without actual debt data for this specific program, you're operating on assumptions. Make sure the certificate translates to employer recognition in your target market before committing.