Marketing at The University of Texas at Arlington

UTA's marketing program sits squarely in the middle of the pack—landing near the 40th percentile among Texas marketing programs—but compensates with notably low debt. At $18,616, graduates carry about $4,000 less than the typical Texas marketing student, placing this program in the 95th percentile nationally for affordability. That lower debt burden matters: with first-year earnings of $43,406, grads face a debt-to-earnings ratio of just 0.43, meaning they could theoretically clear their loans in roughly five months of gross pay.

The earnings trajectory is solid, climbing 24% to reach $53,694 by year four, which actually outpaces what you'd see at some pricier alternatives. Still, there's no escaping that this program produces middle-of-the-road outcomes—$16,000 less than UT Austin's marketing grads and well behind private schools like TCU. For context, the state median is $43,941, so UTA graduates essentially track with typical Texas expectations.

For a family prioritizing affordable access over prestige, this makes sense: your child enters the workforce with manageable debt and room to grow. But if they're competitive enough for UT Austin or have the financial means for TCU, those programs deliver significantly higher earning potential. UTA works best when cost containment is the primary goal and your student values staying in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.