Business Administration, Management and Operations at Yavapai College

Something doesn't add up here: While peer business programs in Arizona suggest first-year earnings around $43,000, this program shows graduates earning just $30,000 by year four—a backward trajectory that's highly unusual. Based on comparable Arizona programs, you'd expect debt around $9,000, which would normally represent a manageable investment. But that calculation assumes earnings grow, not shrink.

This earnings pattern could reflect several scenarios—graduates taking time off, pursuing further education, or working part-time—but without actual data from Yavapai's program, it's impossible to know which applies. What's clear is that the typical Arizona business associate's graduate starts near $43,000 and presumably grows from there, putting them in a reasonable position to manage debt. If Yavapai's actual outcomes follow the year-four figure instead, that changes the equation significantly: $30,000 annually makes even modest debt harder to justify.

The critical question is whether Yavapai's program produces outcomes closer to the statewide starting point or to that unexplained year-four dip. Given this uncertainty, you'd want direct conversations with the school about placement rates, typical graduate paths, and whether their students follow employment patterns that might explain lower mid-term earnings. Without clearer data, this program carries more risk than the debt figure alone suggests.