Business Administration, Management and Operations at Washtenaw Community College

Washtenaw Community College's Business Administration associate's sits in an interesting middle ground: it outperforms 81% of similar programs nationwide but only ranks around the 60th percentile within Michigan. With first-year earnings of $41,152, graduates earn roughly 18% more than the national median for this degree but trail top Michigan programs like Macomb and Lansing Community College by about $2,000-$2,500 annually. That gap may reflect Ann Arbor's proximity to strong employers versus the actual program quality, but either way, it matters less than you might think when the debt load stays under $20,000.

The real strength here is the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.48—meaning graduates owe less than half their first-year salary. That's manageable by any standard, especially since earnings hold steady through year four rather than declining as they do in some business programs. The $19,691 debt sits above the state median, but at this income level, it shouldn't derail financial planning for most graduates.

The small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift year to year, but the program consistently places in Michigan's upper tier. For a two-year degree that leads to $43,361 within four years, this represents solid value—particularly for students who plan to transfer credits toward a bachelor's or who need to start earning quickly while keeping debt in check.