Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions at Towson University

Towson's rehabilitation and therapeutic professions program carries $24,000 in debt—below both the national and Maryland medians for this field—which matters when earnings potential remains uncertain. Based on comparable bachelor's programs nationally, first-year earnings hover around $36,000, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.67. That means graduates would theoretically pay off their loans in about eight months of gross income, which sounds manageable on paper. However, Maryland's rehabilitation programs show notably lower earnings than the national average, with the only other Maryland school with reported data showing first-year earnings of just $30,000.

The field itself presents challenges. With 273 programs nationally competing for positions, and Maryland's track record suggesting earnings may land closer to $30,000 than $36,000, your child could face several years of tight budgets even with modest debt. The national median debt of $26,250 suggests many programs saddle students with more, but that's small comfort if actual Maryland earnings mirror the state median rather than national figures.

The fundamental question: can your family afford for your child to earn potentially $30,000-36,000 in their first year while carrying $24,000 in loans? If graduate school is the plan—common in rehabilitation fields for higher-paying roles—that debt becomes a base layer before professional school costs. If direct employment is the goal, understand this is a helping profession with helping-profession pay, and Maryland's market appears particularly challenging.