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Home›Majors›Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering
DOCTORAL DEGREE · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 1402

Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering: is this doctoral degree worth it?

National picture across 1 reporting college programs.

Personal baseline needed

$134,630 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$134,630Median year-4 earnings
$12,116Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Observed national outcomes

$134,630Median reported earnings · year 4
Not availableAverage reported earnings · year 5
Not availableMedian federal debt
79thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
1Reporting programs
1With year-4 earnings
COMPARE CREDENTIAL LEVELS

The same field can produce a different equation.

Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.

OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$96,510
Federal debt
$25,000
Reporting programs
60
59 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$125,843
Federal debt
Not available
Reporting programs
25
25 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$134,630
Federal debt
Not available
Reporting programs
1
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$134,630National median$134,63075th percentile$134,630
1 programs report year‑4 earnings.
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus$134,630

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

WHERE THIS FIELD CAN LEAD

Related occupations

Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.

Aerospace EngineersSOC 17-2011 · 3 crosswalk linksArchitectural and Engineering ManagersSOC 11-9041 · 3 crosswalk linksEngineering Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1032 · 3 crosswalk linksAerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and TechniciansSOC 17-3021 · 1 crosswalk linksAvionics TechniciansSOC 49-2091 · 1 crosswalk links
COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Doctoral Degree

Biomedical/Medical Engineering

Year-4 earnings
$158,761
Federal debt
Not available
3 reporting programs →Doctoral Degree

Mechanical Engineering

Year-4 earnings
$147,335
Federal debt
Not available
3 reporting programs →
BEST COLLEGES FOR AEROSPACE, AERONAUTICAL, AND ASTRONAUTICAL/SPACE ENGINEERING

Same degree, different outcomes

Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. Automated ROI is withheld when an exact program price or personal earnings baseline is required.

#CollegeLocationEarnings, year 4Federal debtROI statusCost context
1Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusDoctoral DegreeAtlanta, GA$134,630Not availableBaseline needed$12,116

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.