Social Sciences at University of Pittsburgh-Bradford

The initial earnings picture at Pitt-Bradford's Social Sciences program looks promising—graduates start $6,000 above the national median and match Pennsylvania's state average. However, the backward slide tells a different story: by year four, median earnings drop to $36,020, falling below where most Social Sciences grads nationally land at that point.

With manageable debt at $27,000 and strong first-year earnings, the debt-to-income ratio of 0.62 is reasonable. The concerning pattern is what happens after: a 17% earnings decline over three years suggests graduates may struggle to find stable career progression or are accepting lower-paying positions over time. This isn't typical for most bachelor's degree holders, who usually see earnings rise as they gain experience.

The caveat here matters: this data represents fewer than 30 graduates, so these numbers could swing significantly with just a few outliers. One or two graduates changing careers or pursuing graduate school could skew the entire picture. For anxious parents, that means treating this as a warning flag rather than a definitive verdict. If your student is drawn to this program, dig deeper—talk to recent alumni about their career paths and understand what's driving that earnings decline. The debt is manageable enough that it's not a dealbreaker, but you'll want confidence that your child can buck this downward trend.