BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 60 college programs with reportable data.
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Positive payoff
+$253,700 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.
5.1 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+97%Estimated return after 10 years
$96,510Observed earnings · year 4
$83,775Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $63,425 per year below this threshold.
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price+$335,100
$20,000Current college-wide context+$255,100
$40,000Annual price+$175,100
$60,000Annual price+$95,100
$80,000Annual price+$15,100
$100,000Annual price−$64,900
Outcomes at a glance
$96,510Typical earnings four years after completion
$97,584Average earnings five years after completion
$25,000Typical federal student debt
91thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
4Degrees awarded in 2024–25
59College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 4 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering
How much do Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering bachelor's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $96,510 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $25,000. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $92,360 to $102,415 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 5 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
CURRENT VIEW
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $96,510
- Federal debt
- $25,000
- Programs in the comparison
- 60
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $125,843
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 25
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $134,630
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 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$92,360National median$96,51075th percentile$102,415
59 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
Highest observed earnings
University of Southern California
$125,514 four years after completionLos Angeles, CA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtUniversity of Washington-Seattle Campus
$12,000 among completer borrowersSeattle, WA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
246 reported awards in 2024–25Blacksburg, VA · inspect the full program →PRICE × EARNINGS MAP
Where colleges sit for this exact degree
Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.
$115,706Observed year-4 earnings$96,946
University of Southern California$32,740 price · $125,514 earningsUniversity of Colorado Boulder$25,346 price · $116,350 earningsUniversity of California, Los Angeles$12,548 price · $115,706 earningsUniversity of Michigan-Ann Arbor$13,138 price · $115,075 earningsMassachusetts Institute of Technology$20,111 price · $114,620 earningsUniversity of Washington-Seattle Campus$14,091 price · $111,349 earningsIllinois Institute of Technology$18,425 price · $110,956 earningsCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$16,665 price · $107,498 earningsVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University$24,953 price · $106,633 earningsCalifornia State Polytechnic University-Pomona$11,531 price · $106,171 earningsCase Western Reserve University$41,190 price · $106,134 earningsWorcester Polytechnic Institute$43,071 price · $105,171 earningsThe University of Texas at Austin$19,857 price · $104,422 earningsUniversity of Notre Dame$26,780 price · $103,022 earningsAuburn University$24,323 price · $102,756 earningsGeorgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus$12,116 price · $102,415 earningsCalifornia State University, Long Beach$10,440 price · $101,797 earningsUniversity of California, Irvine$14,251 price · $100,537 earningsUniversity of California, San Diego$12,470 price · $100,173 earningsSan Diego State University$15,364 price · $100,139 earningsThe University of Texas at Arlington$13,951 price · $99,239 earningsPennsylvania State University-Main Campus$32,875 price · $99,159 earningsUniversity of Maryland-College Park$15,678 price · $98,044 earningsPurdue University-Main Campus$14,600 price · $97,332 earningsUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$14,355 price · $97,276 earningsTexas A&M University-College Station$21,315 price · $97,227 earningsFlorida Institute of Technology$35,639 price · $97,015 earningsUniversity of Central Florida$10,411 price · $96,972 earningsArizona State University Campus Immersion$14,967 price · $96,946 earningsNew Mexico State University-Main Campus$8,889 price · $96,510 earnings
$10,411Annual college-wide average net price$35,639
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1University of Southern California$125,5142University of Colorado Boulder$116,3503University of California, Los Angeles$115,7064University of Michigan-Ann Arbor$115,0755Massachusetts Institute of Technology$114,6206University of Washington-Seattle Campus$111,3497Illinois Institute of Technology$110,9568California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$107,4989Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University$106,63310California State Polytechnic University-Pomona$106,171Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →14%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Architectural and Engineering Managers$171,270 median wage220,260 jobs nationwide+5.5% projected growth through 2035 · 14,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$120,810–$262,760 typical wage rangeAerospace Engineers$134,960 median wage67,710 jobs nationwide+8.3% projected growth through 2035 · 3,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$86,700–$205,890 typical wage rangeEngineering Teachers, Postsecondary$109,270 median wage40,270 jobs nationwide+7.8% projected growth through 2035 · 3,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$61,550–$210,370 typical wage rangeAerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians$82,890 median wage11,280 jobs nationwide+11.9% projected growth through 2035 · 1,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$59,050–$125,160 typical wage rangeAvionics Technicians$82,280 median wage18,830 jobs nationwide+9.4% projected growth through 2035 · 1,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$49,410–$113,680 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
Where this degree has enough data to compare
State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.
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.