Computer Software and Media Applications at University of Phoenix-Texas

The numbers here tell a puzzling story that demands a second look. Among the seven Texas schools offering this program, University of Phoenix-Texas ranks at the very top for early earnings—$83,476 in the first year blows past Texas A&M ($35,991) and nearly doubles the state median. That initial payoff looks exceptional. But here's the catch: by year four, earnings drop to $57,111, a 32% decline that suggests graduates may be landing contract or project-based roles that don't translate into stable career trajectories.

That volatility matters when you're carrying $44,225 in debt. While the debt-to-first-year-earnings ratio of 0.53 looks manageable, it assumes those initial earnings hold—and they clearly don't. The sample size is small (under 30 graduates), which means a few high earners in specialized tech roles could be skewing the picture dramatically. This isn't the typical pattern you'd expect from a software program, where earnings usually climb as developers gain experience.

For a parent, the key question is whether your child will be in that high-earning group or closer to the declining average. Given the steep earnings drop and limited sample data, this program carries more uncertainty than established computer science degrees at public universities, where earnings patterns are more predictable. If your child needs stable income growth to manage that debt, the four-year trajectory here should give you pause about reliability.