Mathematics at The Catholic University of America

A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.45 looks manageable on paper, but the gap between this program's estimated outcomes and what's happening elsewhere in DC should catch your attention. Georgetown's mathematics graduates—the only DC program with actual reported data—earn $88,081 in their first year, nearly double the $48,772 figure suggested by peer programs nationally. Even the DC median of $88,081 tells the same story: mathematics degrees in the District typically open doors to substantially higher-paying opportunities than what comparable programs across the country produce.

The $21,750 in estimated debt sits close to the national median, so the borrowing itself isn't alarming. But when similar credentials in the same city are associated with earnings in the high $80,000s, the national benchmark of $48,772 feels like leaving money on the table. DC's concentration of government agencies, defense contractors, and tech firms creates unusual earning potential for quantitative graduates—advantages that peer programs in other states simply don't have access to.

Without actual earnings data for Catholic University's mathematics graduates specifically, you're making an investment decision with limited visibility into whether this program connects students to DC's higher-paying opportunities or follows the more modest national pattern. If your child is considering this degree, find out where recent graduates actually work and what they're earning—that concrete information matters far more than these estimated figures can tell you.