Program ROI Dominated by Graduate Credentials
Utah's top program earners are mostly master's and professional degrees — bachelor's programs are scarce in the pay leaderboard.
Program ROI tables are often read as campus rankings. In Utah, 3 of twelve top earners are bachelor's programs — the rest are master's, doctoral, and professional credentials at U of U, BYU, UVU, and WGU. Policy conversations about ROI must separate credential level from institution brand.
- Assumption
- Program ROI leaderboards reflect undergraduate opportunity at each campus.
- Question
- How much do graduate and professional credentials dominate Utah program-level pay tables?
- Evidence
- College Scorecard field-of-study · top earners · Strada statewide ROI 65.0%
- Finding
- Master's business at BYU ($158K) and dentistry at U of U ($154K) anchor the top — bachelor's rows are scarce.
- Limits
- Top earners are not representative of all programs; small cohorts apply.
Source: Pathways & Outcomes analysis · College Scorecard
Only 3 bachelor's programs in top twelve.
| School | Field | Credential | Typical pay | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brigham Young University | Business Administration, Manag | Master's Degree | $158K | $41K |
| Utah Valley University | Computer/Information Technolog | Master's Degree | $155K | — |
| University of Utah | Dentistry | First Professional Degree | $154K | $261K |
| University of Utah | Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Scien | Doctoral Degree | $150K | $128K |
| University of Utah | Business Administration, Manag | Master's Degree | $145K | $41K |
| Western Governors University | Computer/Information Technolog | Master's Degree | $144K | $12K |
| Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions | Registered Nursing, Nursing Ad | Doctoral Degree | $143K | $104K |
| Brigham Young University | Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $143K | $12K |
What this means for you
Find yourself below. Each bullet turns this report's evidence into a practical next step — not a prescription.
- Policymakers Statewide Strada positive-ROI share (65.0%) is a different question than which programs report the highest pay.
- Students Graduate credentials on ROI tables do not describe typical bachelor's outcomes at the same campus.
Updated 2026-06-29. Sources: College Scorecard field-of-study · Strada. Backlog P-7 · policymakers.
Pathways & Outcomes original analysis; cite the report and link to the primary URL. Data vintage: College Scorecard field-of-study.
APA: Pathways and Outcomes. (2026). Program ROI Dominated by Graduate Credentials. https://pathwaysandoutcomes.org/utah/research/program-roi-graduate-credentials/
Pathways & Outcomes uses AI tools to help draft reports and data briefs from verified public data and analysis. A human editor reviews every publication for accuracy, data consistency, clarity, methodology alignment, and discrepancies before release. AI does not determine what we investigate, what we publish, or what conclusions we reach. Editorial policy · About our team