Economics at Wheaton College (Massachusetts)

When first-year earnings barely budge over four years—$57,299 rising to just $59,327—something's not adding up for a Wheaton economics degree. Based on comparable Massachusetts programs, graduates appear to start at roughly the state median, but then their earnings stall in a way that stands in stark contrast to the state's elite liberal arts colleges, where economics graduates from Amherst, Wellesley, and Williams see dramatically different trajectories.

The $27,000 debt load is manageable by national standards—well below both the national and state medians for economics programs. That 0.47 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates owe less than half their first-year salary, which creates breathing room most programs don't offer. But the real concern here is the earnings plateau. Economics graduates typically see meaningful salary growth in their early career years as they move into analyst and specialist roles, yet these figures suggest Wheaton's graduates aren't experiencing that progression.

This could reflect several possibilities: perhaps graduates are entering lower-paying nonprofit or education sectors rather than finance and consulting, or maybe the small sample size that triggered data suppression masks significant variation in outcomes. Given the uncertainty in the estimates and the puzzling earnings pattern, parents should look closely at where recent Wheaton economics graduates actually landed—job titles and employers matter more than the major itself when predicting whether this degree will launch a lucrative career.