Public Health at Texas A&M University-College Station

Texas A&M's Public Health program lands squarely in the middle of the pack—ranking around the 60th percentile both nationally and within Texas. With graduates earning $39,584 their first year out, that's modestly above the national median of $37,548 and notably ahead of the Texas median of $35,119. The debt load of $18,856 is also meaningfully lower than both state and national benchmarks, resulting in a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.48 that graduates could realistically manage in under two years.

What stands out here is that this isn't Texas A&M at its best. The flagship produces far stronger outcomes in other fields, and even within public health, some regional competitors deliver more. East Texas A&M graduates, for instance, earn $44,621 in their first year—about $5,000 more annually. Still, the manageable debt and A&M's broader institutional reputation offer some insurance against the field's modest starting salaries.

For families prioritizing job security in healthcare-adjacent work over high earnings, this represents a reasonable path forward. The combination of below-average debt and above-average (if unspectacular) earnings creates breathing room for graduates to pursue graduate degrees or public sector careers. Just understand you're paying for the Aggie network and campus experience more than you're buying exceptional earning power in this particular field.