Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods at William Paterson University of New Jersey

William Paterson's Management Sciences program graduates earn just $44,322 in their first year—nearly $30,000 less than the national median for this degree and about $15,000 below New Jersey's state median. Among the six New Jersey schools offering this program, William Paterson ranks in just the 25th percentile, meaning three-quarters of comparable in-state programs deliver stronger outcomes. For context, Rutgers-New Brunswick graduates from the same program earn $78,177, nearly double what William Paterson graduates make.

The 20% earnings growth to $53,274 by year four helps close the gap somewhat, but this still leaves graduates well behind their peers. The debt load of $24,347 isn't catastrophic—it's close to national and state averages—but when paired with below-average earnings, it creates a harder payoff timeline than most quantitative methods programs require. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.55 is manageable, though it reflects weak starting salaries rather than particularly low debt.

For a parent whose child could gain admission to Rutgers or Rider (both accessible given William Paterson's 93% acceptance rate), those alternatives would likely provide much stronger return on investment. If William Paterson is the choice due to other factors like location or cost of attendance, understand that this program underperforms most in-state alternatives by a significant margin.