Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations at University of Nebraska at Omaha

Is investing nearly $24,000 in a business degree worth it when comparable programs nationally suggest first-year earnings around $45,000? The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.52 sits in reasonable territory—you'd owe roughly half a year's salary—but this assumes the trajectory typical of entrepreneurship programs holds true at UNO. The reality is we're working with estimates here because too few graduates reported outcomes for the Department of Education to publish actual figures.

What makes this particularly tricky is that entrepreneurship outcomes vary wildly based on individual ambition and execution. Similar programs nationally produce a median salary of $45,265, but the 75th percentile jumps to just over $50,000—a modest spread that suggests this field doesn't reward top performers as dramatically as some majors. For students planning to launch their own ventures, traditional salary metrics may miss the point entirely, though many graduates end up in small business management roles where these numbers do apply.

Without program-specific data, you're betting that UNO's outcomes mirror the national pattern. Given the school's 87% admission rate and solid regional reputation, that's not an unreasonable assumption, but it means you're making this decision somewhat blind. If your child is genuinely entrepreneurial, the degree's value depends more on the network they build and skills they develop than the diploma itself.