Sociology at University of Northern Colorado

University of Northern Colorado's sociology program falls into an uncomfortable middle ground—earning above the national average but notably trailing other Colorado options. While graduates start at $36,077 (beating 66% of sociology programs nationally), they're earning less than the state median of $37,674 and significantly behind top in-state alternatives like Adams State ($46,948) or Western Colorado University ($43,178). That gap matters when your child could attend a program two hours away and potentially earn $10,000 more annually.

The financial fundamentals are actually solid. With $27,000 in debt against first-year earnings of $36K, graduates face a manageable 0.75 debt-to-earnings ratio—better than three-quarters of sociology programs nationwide. Earnings grow 13% by year four, reaching $40,911, which suggests decent career momentum. For a liberal arts degree from an accessible state university, these aren't warning-sign numbers.

The real consideration is opportunity cost within Colorado. If your child is already looking at in-state tuition rates, they might achieve better outcomes at Metropolitan State or even CU Denver, both of which place graduates above the state median. UNC's sociology program delivers acceptable results, but "acceptable" may not be enough when stronger in-state alternatives exist at similar price points.