Agricultural Business and Management at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville

UT-Knoxville's agricultural business program shows estimated first-year earnings around $48,000—right at the national median for this field but above the typical Tennessee outcome of $43,000. That puts it closer to Middle Tennessee State's reported figure of $50,000 than UT-Martin's lower $36,000, suggesting the Knoxville program may hold its own against in-state alternatives. The estimated $20,000 in debt creates a manageable 0.41 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning graduates would owe less than half their first year's salary.

The challenge here is context: with only three programs in Tennessee and suppressed data for this specific program, we're working with national benchmarks rather than UT-Knoxville's actual graduate outcomes. Agricultural business tends to produce steady rather than spectacular starting salaries, and the earnings ceiling appears relatively low—even top-performing programs nationally only reach about $51,000. That's worth considering if your student is taking on significant additional costs beyond the estimated median debt.

The practical picture: if your child can graduate near that $20,000 debt level, this combination looks workable for someone committed to agricultural business. But given the limited concrete data and moderate earning potential, keeping total borrowing as low as possible matters more here than in higher-earning fields. Request the school's actual placement rates and starting salaries for recent ag business graduates before committing.