Geography and Cartography at University of Missouri-Columbia

With a small sample size flagging this data as uncertain, Mizzou's geography program shows first-year earnings of $38,726—exactly at the national median but lagging significantly behind Missouri's state median of $48,756. That 25th percentile state ranking is the real concern here: if your child stays in Missouri after graduation (a common scenario for state school graduates), they'll be earning substantially less than peers from other in-state programs. Park University's graduates, for instance, earn $20,000 more in their first year.

The debt level of $21,000 is reasonable, yielding a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.54. That's the program's strongest selling point—graduates can realistically pay down their loans even at these earnings levels. However, the earnings gap within Missouri suggests either this program isn't connecting students to the state's better-paying geography jobs, or its curriculum isn't aligned with what employers value most.

Given the small sample size, a single cohort's outcomes could be skewing the picture. But until more data emerges, the combination of below-average state performance and exactly-average national results suggests this program isn't delivering a competitive advantage. If your child is set on geography at Mizzou, the affordable debt keeps financial risk low. Otherwise, investigating why other Missouri programs place graduates into higher-earning positions would be worthwhile.