Human Resources Management and Services at University of Michigan-Dearborn

UM-Dearborn's HR program delivers exactly what families should want: above-average earnings at below-average cost. Graduates earn $55,944 in their first year—placing them at the 75th percentile nationally and beating both the national and Michigan medians by roughly $5,000. The debt load of $22,831 is notably lower than typical HR programs, which average around $26,625 nationally and $27,000 in Michigan. That 0.41 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates owe less than half their first-year salary, a comfortable position for launching a career.

The program sits in an interesting spot among Michigan's HR offerings. While it can't match Ann Arbor's $82,714 outcomes, it outperforms established options like Davenport and Oakland while keeping debt substantially lower across the board. For families weighing the UM system, Dearborn offers 68% of Ann Arbor's first-year earnings at just 28% of the debt burden—a compelling tradeoff for a degree that still carries the Michigan name and opens doors in the Detroit metro HR market.

For a student interested in HR who can commute to Dearborn or wants to stay near Detroit's automotive and corporate hub, this represents solid value. The school serves a largely working-class population (44% Pell recipients), yet delivers earnings outcomes that outpace more selective private universities. That's the definition of effective workforce preparation.