Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences at Wichita State University

Wichita State's health sciences program matches the Kansas median exactly on both earnings and debt—which makes sense given only three schools in the state offer this degree. The real question is whether $36,010 starting salary justifies the investment, and here the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.68 offers some reassurance. Graduates carry roughly eight months of their first-year salary in debt, a manageable burden that's actually below the national debt median for this field.

Nationally, this program performs just above the middle of the pack. The $36,010 starting salary edges out the national median of $35,279, placing graduates at the 54th percentile. More importantly, Wichita State students graduate with about $2,200 less debt than the typical health sciences graduate elsewhere. That combination—slightly better earnings, notably lower debt—creates room for graduates to establish themselves financially in an open-access institution where 30% of students receive Pell grants.

The straightforward calculation here: your child would be borrowing less than the national average to earn slightly more than the national average in a field with clear career pathways. For Kansas families, particularly those seeking an accessible entry point into healthcare, this represents a practical investment rather than an exceptional one.