Communication Disorders Sciences and Services at University of Maine

University of Maine's Communication Disorders program substantially outperforms the national field—its first-year median of $30,231 beats 81% of similar programs nationwide and exceeds the national median by more than $5,500. The relatively low debt load of $27,000 (95th percentile nationally, meaning lower than 95% of programs) creates a debt-to-earnings ratio below 1.0 from day one, an unusual achievement for this field. Strong earnings growth of 38% over four years pushes graduates to $41,768, suggesting career momentum rather than stagnation.

The caveat here matters: with fewer than 30 graduates in the sample, a few high earners could be skewing these numbers upward. Still, the combination of above-average starting salaries and manageable debt makes this program look solid on paper, particularly for students planning to pursue graduate work in speech-language pathology (as many communication disorders majors do). The program's strong national ranking suggests UMaine has built something competitive despite Maine's small market.

For parents, the appeal is straightforward: your child would enter a field with clear professional pathways while carrying less debt than most peers nationwide. Just remember these numbers represent a small group, so individual outcomes may vary more than at larger programs.