Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations at University of Scranton

Is a bachelor's in entrepreneurship worth $25,000 in debt when the path from college to business ownership is rarely straightforward? Based on comparable programs in Pennsylvania, Scranton's entrepreneurship degree points to first-year earnings around $49,000—essentially matching the state median and landing squarely in the middle of what Pennsylvania schools produce. That's a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.52, which is manageable but not impressive, especially when Temple and Drexel graduates in the same field are pulling slightly higher salaries.

The challenge with entrepreneurship programs is they're preparing students for two different futures: working for someone else (where these earnings apply) or starting their own venture (where college debt becomes one more financial hurdle). If your child takes the employee route initially, the numbers work—they should be able to handle the loan payments while building capital and experience. But if they're hoping to launch a business right after graduation, that $25,000 in debt creates pressure to generate income quickly, which often conflicts with the patient capital-building most successful entrepreneurs describe.

Since these figures are estimates based on peer programs rather than Scranton's actual outcomes, you're making an educated guess about a school whose small graduate cohort suggests a niche program. The safer bet: assume your child will need to work a traditional job first, in which case this puts them in reasonable financial shape, though not ahead of the game.