Business Administration, Management and Operations at Texas A&M University-Kingsville

A $32,000 starting salary makes this one of the weakest business programs in Texas—ranking at just the 25th percentile statewide and 5th percentile nationally. While the program serves an economically diverse student body (55% receive Pell grants) with manageable debt of $29,250, graduates earn roughly $12,000 less than the Texas median for business majors in their first year. That gap translates to about $1,000 less per month in take-home pay, which matters enormously when you're starting to repay loans.

The 53% earnings jump to $48,870 by year four offers some relief, bringing graduates closer to competitive wages. However, even this improved salary still trails the state median and falls well short of what peers earn at UT Austin ($66,289) or Texas Christian ($71,984). The debt burden itself isn't excessive—the 0.91 ratio means monthly payments should be manageable—but the opportunity cost is real when other Texas schools deliver $15,000-$35,000 higher starting salaries for the same degree.

If your child is strongly tied to the Kingsville area or has specific reasons to attend TAMU-Kingsville, they can make this work financially. But for a general business degree, most Texas public universities would offer better earning potential at similar or lower debt levels. The high admission rate and modest SAT scores suggest accessibility is a priority here, which has value—just not necessarily economic value for business majors.