Science, Technology and Society at Troy University

Troy University's Science, Technology and Society program reports numbers that look almost too good to be true—and that's precisely because they might be. With median first-year earnings of $85,672 against just $11,809 in debt, graduates appear to nearly double the national median for this field. However, the dataset includes fewer than 30 graduates, which means these figures could easily reflect a handful of exceptional outcomes rather than a reliable pattern.

The national context reveals how unusual these numbers are: this program ranks in the 95th percentile for both earnings and low debt compared to similar programs nationwide, where the typical graduate earns around $44,700. That's a remarkable gap. But here's the catch—Troy is the only school in Alabama reporting data for this degree, making state-level comparisons meaningless. Are these graduates landing in specialized tech policy roles? Pivoting into software development? Without a larger sample, it's impossible to know whether future students can expect similar results.

For parents considering this program, the risk-reward math looks favorable on paper: even if actual outcomes fall significantly short of these figures, the low debt provides a cushion. The real question is whether your student's career interests truly align with this interdisciplinary field, and whether Troy's program connects to the specific industries driving these salaries. Given the uncertainty, this shouldn't be chosen based on these earnings projections alone.