History at Tennessee Technological University

Tennessee Tech's history program shows concerning early earnings—just $24,659 in the first year out, placing it in the bottom quarter of Tennessee history programs and the bottom 10% nationally. While graduates carry relatively modest debt at $17,194 (below both state and national medians), that first-year salary is still lower than what you'd see from many retail management positions, and substantially trails nearby public alternatives like Middle Tennessee State ($35,391) and Austin Peay ($34,456).

The 39% earnings growth to $34,200 by year four offers some recovery, though even this figure remains below the state median. The small sample size here matters: with fewer than 30 graduates tracked, a few outliers could be skewing these numbers significantly in either direction. What's certain is that this program's starting trajectory falls well short of comparable Tennessee institutions, suggesting either fewer connections to strong employers or a curriculum less aligned with career outcomes.

For a parent considering this investment, the math works only if your student has specific graduate school plans where the undergraduate institution matters less, or if they're attending on significant scholarship. Otherwise, the combination of weak initial placement and below-average earnings even after four years makes this a questionable choice when stronger-performing history programs exist at similar price points across Tennessee.