Education at University of Missouri-St Louis

The small sample size here demands caution, but the pattern is troubling: graduates earn $30,096 in their first year, then see their income actually drop to $28,577 by year four. That's moving in the wrong direction, and it places this program in just the 15th percentile nationally for education degrees. While the 40th percentile ranking among Missouri programs sounds more reasonable, it still trails the state median of $32,131 and lags behind most comparable schools—Saint Louis University's education grads earn over $6,000 more.

The debt picture compounds the concern. At $33,449, graduates carry significantly more debt than both state and national medians (around $27,000), while earning considerably less. This creates a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.11, meaning graduates owe more than a full year's salary. For a field where starting salaries rarely rise quickly, this can mean years of financial strain.

With fewer than 30 graduates in this data set, these numbers could shift dramatically year to year. But if you're comparing Missouri education programs, several in-state options show stronger outcomes at similar or lower debt levels. Given the negative earnings trajectory and above-average debt, families should look closely at alternative programs unless there are compelling non-financial reasons to choose UMSL.