Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at Winthrop University

The small sample size here deserves attention, but the pattern it reveals is troubling: Winthrop graduates in this allied health program earn just $33,778 their first year out—barely 56% of the national median for these degrees and about $5,500 below even South Carolina's relatively modest state average. While the $28,000 debt load is reasonable and slightly below national norms, the earnings are so low that graduates face a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.83, meaning they owe nearly a year's pretax salary. Compare this to USC-Columbia's allied health program, where graduates earn $44,919—that's 33% more for likely similar debt levels.

What makes this particularly concerning is that allied health professions typically offer stable, middle-class incomes. The national median of $60,447 reflects what most graduates in this field can expect, making Winthrop's results an outlier. It's possible the small cohort pursued lower-paying specializations or part-time positions, which could explain the gap. But at face value, these numbers suggest graduates are entering less lucrative segments of the allied health field.

Parents considering this program should dig deeper into exactly which allied health careers Winthrop's graduates pursue and why their outcomes diverge so sharply from state and national norms. With more established programs available at similar cost within South Carolina, the burden of proof is on Winthrop to explain these results.