Engineering, General: is this associate's degree worth it?
National picture across 54 reporting college programs.
MODELED SCENARIO · Strong payoff
+$197,218 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.
Observed earnings clearly outpace the comparison earnings and estimated education cost in this scenario.
3.5 yrsModeled economic break-even
+187%Modeled 10-year ROI
$75,246Observed earnings · year 4
Observed national outcomes
$75,246Median reported earnings · year 4
$70,833Average reported earnings · year 5
$10,841Median federal debt
92thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
54Reporting programs
53With year-4 earnings
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
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $85,144
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Reporting programs
- 6
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $75,246
- Federal debt
- $10,841
- Reporting programs
- 54
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $88,063
- Federal debt
- $26,978
- Reporting programs
- 59
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $123,834
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 29
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $138,039
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 2
Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)
- Year-4 earnings
- $122,252
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 1
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$72,003National median$75,24675th percentile$79,421
53 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1Austin Community College District$88,3662San Jacinto Community College$87,9713Germanna Community College$87,2844Oklahoma City Community College$86,0395Anne Arundel Community College$82,1616College of Southern Maryland$81,7937Tulsa Community College$81,6858Chattanooga State Community College$81,3359Northern Virginia Community College$81,06910Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City$80,843Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Related occupations
Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.
Engineers, All OtherSOC 17-2199 · 2 crosswalk linksArchitectural and Engineering ManagersSOC 11-9041 · 1 crosswalk linksEngineering Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1032 · 1 crosswalk linksNO MATCHSOC 99-9999 · 1 crosswalk links
Same degree, different outcomes
Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. ROI uses each institution’s average net price as a scenario—not an individual aid offer.
| # | College | Location | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 10-year ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin Community College DistrictAssociate's Degree | Austin, TX | $88,366 | $15,375 | +322% | Strong payoff |
| 2 | San Jacinto Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Pasadena, TX | $87,971 | Not available | +276% | Strong payoff |
| 3 | Germanna Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Locust Grove, VA | $87,284 | Not available | +318% | Strong payoff |
| 4 | Oklahoma City Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Oklahoma City, OK | $86,039 | $11,750 | +313% | Strong payoff |
| 5 | Anne Arundel Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Arnold, MD | $82,161 | Not available | +210% | Strong payoff |
| 6 | College of Southern MarylandAssociate's Degree | La Plata, MD | $81,793 | Not available | +239% | Strong payoff |
| 7 | Tulsa Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Tulsa, OK | $81,685 | $16,516 | +258% | Strong payoff |
| 8 | Chattanooga State Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Chattanooga, TN | $81,335 | $16,500 | +261% | Strong payoff |
| 9 | Northern Virginia Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Annandale, VA | $81,069 | $9,500 | +228% | Strong payoff |
| 10 | Metropolitan Community College-Kansas CityAssociate's Degree | Kansas City, MO | $80,843 | Not available | +236% | Strong payoff |
| 11 | Monroe Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Rochester, NY | $80,039 | $9,185 | +241% | Strong payoff |
| 12 | Delaware County Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Media, PA | $79,850 | Not available | +238% | Strong payoff |
| 13 | Wake Technical Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Raleigh, NC | $79,575 | $11,182 | +222% | Strong payoff |
| 14 | Springfield Technical Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Springfield, MA | $79,421 | Not available | +240% | Strong payoff |
| 15 | Brightpoint Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Chester, VA | $79,293 | Not available | +240% | Strong payoff |
| 16 | Rose State CollegeAssociate's Degree | Midwest City, OK | $78,127 | Not available | +190% | Strong payoff |
| 17 | Henry Ford CollegeAssociate's Degree | Dearborn, MI | $76,979 | $11,813 | +250% | Strong payoff |
| 18 | Harrisburg Area Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Harrisburg, PA | $76,696 | Not available | +166% | Strong payoff |
| 19 | Tidewater Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Norfolk, VA | $76,492 | $12,250 | +177% | Strong payoff |
| 20 | Central Piedmont Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Charlotte, NC | $76,388 | Not available | +225% | Strong payoff |
| 21 | College of DuPageAssociate's Degree | Glen Ellyn, IL | $76,160 | $10,500 | +197% | Strong payoff |
| 22 | Brookdale Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Lincroft, NJ | $75,974 | Not available | +175% | Strong payoff |
| 23 | William Rainey Harper CollegeAssociate's Degree | Palatine, IL | $75,970 | Not available | +174% | Strong payoff |
| 24 | Century CollegeAssociate's Degree | White Bear Lake, MN | $75,865 | $15,583 | +176% | Strong payoff |
| 25 | University of Arkansas-Fort SmithAssociate's Degree | Fort Smith, AR | $75,794 | Not available | +177% | Strong payoff |
| 26 | Holyoke Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Holyoke, MA | $75,267 | $8,907 | +185% | Strong payoff |
| 27 | Dutchess Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Poughkeepsie, NY | $75,246 | Not available | +175% | Strong payoff |
| 28 | Virginia Western Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Roanoke, VA | $74,206 | Not available | +192% | Strong payoff |
| 29 | CUNY Bronx Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Bronx, NY | $73,862 | Not available | +192% | Strong payoff |
| 30 | J Sargeant Reynolds Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Richmond, VA | $73,364 | $10,500 | +183% | Strong payoff |
| 31 | Central New Mexico Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Albuquerque, NM | $73,292 | Not available | +185% | Strong payoff |
| 32 | Orange Coast CollegeAssociate's Degree | Costa Mesa, CA | $73,237 | Not available | +170% | Strong payoff |
| 33 | Hudson Valley Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Troy, NY | $73,204 | $9,000 | +164% | Strong payoff |
| 34 | Northwest Vista CollegeAssociate's Degree | San Antonio, TX | $73,123 | Not available | +184% | Strong payoff |
| 35 | Virginia Peninsula Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Hampton, VA | $72,844 | Not available | +168% | Strong payoff |
| 36 | Suffolk County Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Selden, NY | $72,741 | Not available | +176% | Strong payoff |
| 37 | Rowan College of South Jersey-Cumberland CampusAssociate's Degree | Vineland, NJ | $72,502 | Not available | +147% | Strong payoff |
| 38 | Rowan College of South Jersey-Gloucester CampusAssociate's Degree | Sewell, NJ | $72,502 | Not available | +140% | Strong payoff |
| 39 | Ozarks Technical Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Springfield, MO | $72,033 | Not available | +160% | Strong payoff |
| 40 | Quinsigamond Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Worcester, MA | $72,003 | $16,036 | +150% | Strong payoff |
| 41 | San Antonio CollegeAssociate's Degree | San Antonio, TX | $71,710 | Not available | +169% | Strong payoff |
| 42 | Bunker Hill Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Boston, MA | $70,867 | Not available | +145% | Strong payoff |
| 43 | Sinclair Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Dayton, OH | $68,935 | $9,192 | +135% | Strong payoff |
| 44 | Normandale Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Bloomington, MN | $67,542 | Not available | +94% | Positive payoff |
| 45 | College of Lake CountyAssociate's Degree | Grayslake, IL | $67,391 | Not available | +113% | Strong payoff |
| 46 | Parkland CollegeAssociate's Degree | Champaign, IL | $66,550 | Not available | +103% | Strong payoff |
| 47 | Bristol Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Fall River, MA | $65,476 | $15,134 | +103% | Strong payoff |
| 48 | South Texas CollegeAssociate's Degree | McAllen, TX | $63,940 | Not available | +103% | Strong payoff |
| 49 | UCNJ Union College of Union County New JerseyAssociate's Degree | Cranford, NJ | $62,622 | $8,508 | +65% | Positive payoff |
| 50 | Amarillo CollegeAssociate's Degree | Amarillo, TX | $60,336 | Not available | +55% | Positive payoff |
| 51 | CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | New York, NY | $58,375 | Not available | +34% | Positive payoff |
| 52 | Itawamba Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Fulton, MS | $55,001 | Not available | +1% | Positive payoff |
| 53 | Mississippi Gulf Coast Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Perkinston, MS | $51,527 | $8,250 | -37% | Negative payoff |
| 54 | Schoolcraft Community College DistrictAssociate's Degree | Livonia, MI | Not available | $8,949 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $2,260 |
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.