Physics at University of Missouri-Columbia

The debt burden here tells an encouraging story: at $16,005, this program carries less than half the national median debt for physics bachelor's degrees ($23,304), placing it in the 95th percentile nationally—meaning 95% of physics programs nationwide saddle students with more debt. That's a significant financial advantage before even considering earnings.

Based on comparable physics programs nationally, first-year earnings around $47,670 suggest a healthy debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.34. Physics graduates typically see their compensation grow substantially as they move into research positions, graduate programs, or specialized industry roles, so this initial figure represents just the starting point. The low debt load becomes particularly valuable if your child pursues graduate school in physics or related fields, where additional student loans are common.

The caveat is that these earnings figures are national estimates—Mizzou hasn't published actual outcomes because the graduating cohort was too small. Missouri physics programs vary considerably in their outcomes, and without program-specific data, you're relying on the assumption that Mizzou's physics graduates perform similarly to the national median. What you can count on is the debt figure: your child would likely finish with manageable loans that won't constrain their next steps, whether that's grad school, industry work, or teaching.