Geography and Cartography at Western Washington University

Western Washington's Geography program sits in an unusual position: it ranks in the bottom 12th percentile nationally but at the 60th percentile statewide. This disconnect exists because Washington geography programs as a whole underperform—the state median for geography graduates is just $29,931, well below the $38,726 national median. That means WWU's results, while mediocre in absolute terms, are actually middle-of-the-pack for in-state options.

The concerning pattern here is the $29,931 starting salary combined with $21,500 in debt. Even after strong 44% earnings growth to $43,135 by year four, graduates still lag behind what their peers at University of Washington-Seattle earn right out of the gate ($42,489). The debt load isn't extreme, but the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.72 means new graduates are carrying nearly nine months of their annual income in student loans.

One critical caveat: this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, so these numbers could shift dramatically with a larger sample. If your student is committed to geography in Washington, WWU performs comparably to other state schools. But if they're open to other majors or willing to attend UW-Seattle, those paths would likely deliver stronger financial outcomes. Geography degrees, particularly in Washington, appear to start slow regardless of where you earn them.