Business Administration, Management and Operations at Western Technical College

At $18,851 in first-year earnings, Western Technical College's business administration associate degree graduates earn barely above minimum wage—less than half what the typical graduate from this program makes in Texas. Among the 63 Texas schools offering this program, this ranks near the bottom at the 10th percentile, and it's even worse nationally at just the 5th percentile. For context, community colleges like Dallas College and Lone Star produce graduates earning more than double what Western Tech grads make, despite offering the same credential.

The $20,000 in debt compounds the problem. While that's close to the national average for business associate degrees, it's troubling when graduates can barely cover their loans with their first year's salary. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.06 means students are borrowing more than they'll earn in their entire first year out of school. Meanwhile, other Texas community colleges manage similar or lower debt loads while delivering dramatically better outcomes.

This program fails on the fundamental promise of a business degree: improving earning potential. Unless a student has extremely specific reasons for attending Western Tech—like existing relationships with El Paso employers who recruit there—families should look at virtually any alternative. The community colleges in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas offer the same degree for comparable or less debt, but with career prospects that actually justify the investment.