Business Administration, Management and Operations at Tennessee Wesleyan University

Tennessee Wesleyan's business program delivers first-year earnings that rival UT-Knoxville and Rhodes College—$58,859 places it in the 95th percentile nationally and 80th percentile within Tennessee. That's impressive for a school with a 59% admission rate and nearly $13,000 above the state median for this major. Debt is manageable at $29,750, with graduates earning roughly twice their loan balance in that first year.

The challenge is what happens next: earnings drop to $51,442 by year four, a 13% decline that's unusual for business graduates. This could reflect the small sample size (under 30 graduates tracked), meaning a few outliers significantly sway the numbers. It might also suggest graduates take high-paying initial jobs that don't lead to career progression, or that they're geographically mobile in ways that affect reported earnings.

For an anxious parent, here's the practical read: if your child lands one of these positions, they'll start strong with debt they can handle. The earnings decline is concerning, but given the small sample and competitive starting salary, this program appears to punch above its weight. Just understand that the year-four data may not reliably predict your child's trajectory—it's a small enough group that individual circumstances could dramatically skew the average either way.