Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians: is this bachelor's degree worth it?
National picture across 55 reporting college programs.
MODELED SCENARIO · Positive payoff
+$123,728 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.
6.6 yrsModeled economic break-even
+51%Modeled 10-year ROI
$81,404Observed earnings · year 4
Observed national outcomes
$81,404Median reported earnings · year 4
$74,135Average reported earnings · year 5
$24,250Median federal debt
76thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
55Reporting programs
52With 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
- $56,635
- Federal debt
- $10,244
- Reporting programs
- 27
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $73,951
- Federal debt
- $13,500
- Reporting programs
- 42
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $81,404
- Federal debt
- $24,250
- Reporting programs
- 55
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $86,133
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 4
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$74,209National median$81,40475th percentile$87,442
52 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1Brigham Young University-Idaho$103,7692SUNY Buffalo State University$98,0183Weber State University$94,4544Ferris State University$91,9935Indiana State University$91,9156University of Southern Mississippi$89,9047Ohio Northern University$89,6978Texas A&M University-College Station$89,6299California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$89,19510Northern Kentucky University$88,492Observed 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.
Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All OtherSOC 17-3029 · 5 crosswalk linksIndustrial Engineering Technologists and TechniciansSOC 17-3026 · 3 crosswalk linksElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and TechniciansSOC 17-3023 · 1 crosswalk linksSemiconductor Processing TechniciansSOC 51-9141 · 1 crosswalk linksWelders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersSOC 51-4121 · 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 | Brigham Young University-IdahoBachelor's Degree | Rexburg, ID | $103,769 | Not available | +176% | Strong payoff |
| 2 | SUNY Buffalo State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Buffalo, NY | $98,018 | $29,500 | +135% | Strong payoff |
| 3 | Weber State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Ogden, UT | $94,454 | $26,500 | +124% | Strong payoff |
| 4 | Ferris State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Big Rapids, MI | $91,993 | $24,250 | +119% | Strong payoff |
| 5 | Indiana State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Terre Haute, IN | $91,915 | $20,500 | +110% | Strong payoff |
| 6 | University of Southern MississippiBachelor's Degree | Hattiesburg, MS | $89,904 | $31,250 | +68% | Positive payoff |
| 7 | Ohio Northern UniversityBachelor's Degree | Ada, OH | $89,697 | Not available | +61% | Positive payoff |
| 8 | Texas A&M University-College StationBachelor's Degree | College Station, TX | $89,629 | $22,462 | +68% | Positive payoff |
| 9 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoBachelor's Degree | San Luis Obispo, CA | $89,195 | $18,250 | +79% | Positive payoff |
| 10 | Northern Kentucky UniversityBachelor's Degree | Highland Heights, KY | $88,492 | $25,500 | +104% | Strong payoff |
| 11 | Purdue University-Main CampusBachelor's Degree | West Lafayette, IN | $88,474 | $21,345 | +82% | Positive payoff |
| 12 | Tarleton State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Stephenville, TX | $87,678 | $25,750 | +62% | Positive payoff |
| 13 | University of Northern IowaBachelor's Degree | Cedar Falls, IA | $87,580 | $23,213 | +75% | Positive payoff |
| 14 | Southern Illinois University-CarbondaleBachelor's Degree | Carbondale, IL | $87,442 | $22,000 | +82% | Positive payoff |
| 15 | Lamar UniversityBachelor's Degree | Beaumont, TX | $87,113 | $37,672 | +94% | Positive payoff |
| 16 | California State University, Los AngelesBachelor's Degree | Los Angeles, CA | $86,970 | $15,883 | +114% | Strong payoff |
| 17 | Western Kentucky UniversityBachelor's Degree | Bowling Green, KY | $86,033 | Not available | +83% | Positive payoff |
| 18 | Ohio University-Main CampusBachelor's Degree | Athens, OH | $85,798 | $26,863 | +53% | Positive payoff |
| 19 | Pennsylvania College of TechnologyBachelor's Degree | Williamsport, PA | $85,665 | $27,000 | +45% | Positive payoff |
| 20 | University of Wisconsin-PlattevilleBachelor's Degree | Platteville, WI | $83,958 | $25,125 | +60% | Positive payoff |
| 21 | Minnesota State University-MankatoBachelor's Degree | Mankato, MN | $83,115 | $28,500 | +49% | Positive payoff |
| 22 | Western Michigan UniversityBachelor's Degree | Kalamazoo, MI | $82,740 | $29,875 | +57% | Positive payoff |
| 23 | University of DaytonBachelor's Degree | Dayton, OH | $82,332 | $26,405 | +25% | Positive payoff |
| 24 | East Carolina UniversityBachelor's Degree | Greenville, NC | $81,852 | $20,625 | +52% | Positive payoff |
| 25 | Pittsburg State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Pittsburg, KS | $81,562 | $22,250 | +50% | Positive payoff |
| 26 | Shawnee State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Portsmouth, OH | $81,446 | $24,500 | +53% | Positive payoff |
| 27 | Eastern Illinois UniversityBachelor's Degree | Charleston, IL | $81,362 | $23,000 | +57% | Positive payoff |
| 28 | Southeast Missouri State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Cape Girardeau, MO | $80,820 | $24,489 | +47% | Positive payoff |
| 29 | Sam Houston State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Huntsville, TX | $79,544 | $21,500 | +41% | Positive payoff |
| 30 | Mississippi State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Mississippi State, MS | $79,068 | $22,500 | +36% | Positive payoff |
| 31 | Farmingdale State CollegeBachelor's Degree | Farmingdale, NY | $78,267 | $23,497 | +49% | Positive payoff |
| 32 | University of Southern MaineBachelor's Degree | Portland, ME | $77,734 | $24,771 | +40% | Positive payoff |
| 33 | North Carolina A&T State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Greensboro, NC | $77,476 | $30,272 | +45% | Positive payoff |
| 34 | Pennsylvania Western UniversityBachelor's Degree | California, PA | $77,401 | Not available | +28% | Positive payoff |
| 35 | Bemidji State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Bemidji, MN | $76,882 | Not available | +32% | Positive payoff |
| 36 | Millersville University of PennsylvaniaBachelor's Degree | Millersville, PA | $76,831 | $27,000 | +21% | Positive payoff |
| 37 | Southeastern Louisiana UniversityBachelor's Degree | Hammond, LA | $76,401 | $20,625 | +35% | Positive payoff |
| 38 | Illinois State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Normal, IL | $76,121 | $23,000 | +21% | Positive payoff |
| 39 | University of North DakotaBachelor's Degree | Grand Forks, ND | $75,202 | Not available | +19% | Positive payoff |
| 40 | Northwestern State University of LouisianaBachelor's Degree | Natchitoches, LA | $74,209 | $25,625 | +25% | Positive payoff |
| 41 | Saint Cloud State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Saint Cloud, MN | $73,695 | $16,084 | +23% | Positive payoff |
| 42 | Ball State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Muncie, IN | $73,664 | Not available | +20% | Positive payoff |
| 43 | University of Arkansas at Pine BluffBachelor's Degree | Pine Bluff, AR | $71,983 | $25,262 | +17% | Positive payoff |
| 44 | Texas A&M University-KingsvilleBachelor's Degree | Kingsville, TX | $71,207 | $23,347 | +15% | Positive payoff |
| 45 | University of Louisiana at LafayetteBachelor's Degree | Lafayette, LA | $69,334 | $23,125 | +4% | Positive payoff |
| 46 | East Texas A&M UniversityBachelor's Degree | Commerce, TX | $68,588 | Not available | +4% | Positive payoff |
| 47 | Wayne State CollegeBachelor's Degree | Wayne, NE | $68,431 | $25,000 | -3% | Negative payoff |
| 48 | Fitchburg State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Fitchburg, MA | $66,707 | $27,000 | -8% | Negative payoff |
| 49 | Vincennes UniversityBachelor's Degree | Vincennes, IN | $57,348 | $20,228 | -45% | Negative payoff |
| 50 | Jackson State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Jackson, MS | $52,107 | $30,242 | -74% | Negative payoff |
| 51 | Kennesaw State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Kennesaw, GA | $51,417 | $28,250 | -73% | Negative payoff |
| 52 | University of Puerto Rico-AreciboBachelor's Degree | Arecibo, PR | $36,328 | $5,500 | -139% | Negative payoff |
| 53 | California State University, FresnoBachelor's Degree | Fresno, CA | Not available | $10,518 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $7,000 |
| 54 | Central Connecticut State UniversityBachelor's Degree | New Britain, CT | Not available | $18,750 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $16,857 |
| 55 | Northwest Missouri State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Maryville, MO | Not available | $19,145 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $16,244 |
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.