Engineering-Related Fields: is this bachelor's degree worth it?
National picture across 34 reporting college programs.
MODELED SCENARIO · Positive payoff
+$192,563 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.
This is a positive modeled result. Price, time to finish and future earnings can still change the outcome.
5.7 yrsModeled economic break-even
+74%Modeled 10-year ROI
$90,275Observed earnings · year 4
Observed national outcomes
$90,275Median reported earnings · year 4
$87,666Average reported earnings · year 5
$25,368Median federal debt
88thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
34Reporting programs
34With 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
- $83,619
- Federal debt
- $17,625
- Reporting programs
- 1
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $90,275
- Federal debt
- $25,368
- Reporting programs
- 34
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $127,032
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 40
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $180,549
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 1
Graduate/Professional Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $119,889
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 2
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$83,405National median$90,27575th percentile$94,449
34 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1The University of Texas at Austin$145,6382New York University$114,5723University of Arkansas Grantham$108,3804Arizona State University Campus Immersion$102,3205Arizona State University Digital Immersion$102,3206Stevens Institute of Technology$101,7987University of Arizona$101,5578Miami University-Oxford$99,4739University of Southern California$96,12010Clemson University$94,449Observed 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.
Architectural and Engineering ManagersSOC 11-9041 · 3 crosswalk linksEngineering Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1032 · 2 crosswalk linksIndustrial Engineering Technologists and TechniciansSOC 17-3026 · 2 crosswalk linksIndustrial EngineersSOC 17-2112 · 2 crosswalk linksCommercial and Industrial DesignersSOC 27-1021 · 1 crosswalk linksEngineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All OtherSOC 17-3029 · 1 crosswalk linksEngineers, All OtherSOC 17-2199 · 1 crosswalk linksFacilities ManagersSOC 11-3013 · 1 crosswalk linksIndustrial Production ManagersSOC 11-3051 · 1 crosswalk linksNO MATCHSOC 99-9999 · 1 crosswalk linksPostsecondary Teachers, All OtherSOC 25-1199 · 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 | The University of Texas at AustinBachelor's Degree | Austin, TX | $145,638 | Not available | +288% | Strong payoff |
| 2 | New York UniversityBachelor's Degree | New York, NY | $114,572 | $20,500 | +112% | Strong payoff |
| 3 | University of Arkansas GranthamBachelor's Degree | LIttle Rock, AR | $108,380 | Not available | +197% | Strong payoff |
| 4 | Arizona State University Campus ImmersionBachelor's Degree | Tempe, AZ | $102,320 | $31,000 | +139% | Strong payoff |
| 5 | Arizona State University Digital ImmersionBachelor's Degree | Scottsdale, AZ | $102,320 | $31,000 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | Not available |
| 6 | Stevens Institute of TechnologyBachelor's Degree | Hoboken, NJ | $101,798 | $26,975 | +64% | Positive payoff |
| 7 | University of ArizonaBachelor's Degree | Tucson, AZ | $101,557 | $24,777 | +129% | Strong payoff |
| 8 | Miami University-OxfordBachelor's Degree | Oxford, OH | $99,473 | $27,000 | +86% | Positive payoff |
| 9 | University of Southern CaliforniaBachelor's Degree | Los Angeles, CA | $96,120 | $19,250 | +64% | Positive payoff |
| 10 | Clemson UniversityBachelor's Degree | Clemson, SC | $94,449 | $25,000 | +84% | Positive payoff |
| 11 | Michigan State UniversityBachelor's Degree | East Lansing, MI | $94,143 | $23,756 | +90% | Positive payoff |
| 12 | Michigan Technological UniversityBachelor's Degree | Houghton, MI | $93,993 | $27,875 | +107% | Strong payoff |
| 13 | The University of Tennessee-ChattanoogaBachelor's Degree | Chattanooga, TN | $92,900 | $25,500 | +102% | Strong payoff |
| 14 | Rochester Institute of TechnologyBachelor's Degree | Rochester, NY | $92,780 | $27,750 | +49% | Positive payoff |
| 15 | University of the PacificBachelor's Degree | Stockton, CA | $92,718 | Not available | +69% | Positive payoff |
| 16 | Art Center College of DesignBachelor's Degree | Pasadena, CA | $92,293 | $37,250 | +26% | Positive payoff |
| 17 | Missouri University of Science and TechnologyBachelor's Degree | Rolla, MO | $91,035 | $28,000 | +88% | Positive payoff |
| 18 | Bowling Green State University-Main CampusBachelor's Degree | Bowling Green, OH | $89,514 | $26,404 | +61% | Positive payoff |
| 19 | Clarkson UniversityBachelor's Degree | Potsdam, NY | $88,793 | $27,000 | +45% | Positive payoff |
| 20 | Western Michigan UniversityBachelor's Degree | Kalamazoo, MI | $88,746 | $27,000 | +81% | Positive payoff |
| 21 | Purdue University-Main CampusBachelor's Degree | West Lafayette, IN | $87,914 | $16,625 | +80% | Positive payoff |
| 22 | University of Wisconsin-StoutBachelor's Degree | Menomonie, WI | $86,490 | $27,000 | +66% | Positive payoff |
| 23 | California State University, ChicoBachelor's Degree | Chico, CA | $86,430 | $16,601 | +74% | Positive payoff |
| 24 | Morehead State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Morehead, KY | $85,181 | $22,580 | +83% | Positive payoff |
| 25 | Illinois Institute of TechnologyBachelor's Degree | Chicago, IL | $84,305 | Not available | +55% | Positive payoff |
| 26 | Middle Tennessee State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Murfreesboro, TN | $83,405 | $19,576 | +65% | Positive payoff |
| 27 | Utah Valley UniversityBachelor's Degree | Orem, UT | $83,278 | $13,850 | +86% | Positive payoff |
| 28 | Iowa State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Ames, IA | $82,548 | $25,236 | +48% | Positive payoff |
| 29 | Purdue University NorthwestBachelor's Degree | Hammond, IN | $82,075 | Not available | +81% | Positive payoff |
| 30 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Blacksburg, VA | $81,618 | $23,750 | +31% | Positive payoff |
| 31 | Washburn UniversityBachelor's Degree | Topeka, KS | $80,436 | Not available | +47% | Positive payoff |
| 32 | Eastern Michigan UniversityBachelor's Degree | Ypsilanti, MI | $75,528 | $31,122 | +26% | Positive payoff |
| 33 | Utah State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Logan, UT | $66,613 | $13,988 | -10% | Negative payoff |
| 34 | Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo CampusBachelor's Degree | Gurabo, PR | $56,768 | $22,999 | -43% | Negative payoff |
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.