Criminal Justice and Corrections at Truman State University

The small sample size here demands caution, but Truman State's criminal justice program shows graduates starting well behind—earning $32,176 in their first year puts them in just the 14th percentile nationally and 40th within Missouri. That's $5,700 below Missouri's median and nearly $6,000 below the national benchmark. Even established Missouri programs like Park University and Columbia College show first-year earnings exceeding $46,000, suggesting Truman's graduates may be entering different (and lower-paying) sectors of criminal justice work.

The 56% earnings jump to $50,100 by year four offers some relief, eventually surpassing both state and national medians. The debt load of $21,997 is manageable—about $4,000 less than typical for this field—which means graduates aren't drowning financially during those lean early years. But that four-year wait to reach competitive earnings matters if your child needs to start repaying loans immediately or wants to live independently.

Given the limited data and Truman's 80% admission rate, this isn't a selective program with obvious placement advantages. If your child is set on criminal justice in Missouri, understanding why Truman's graduates start so far behind their in-state peers should be priority one. The trajectory improves, but the rocky launch deserves scrutiny.