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ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a associate's degree in Engineering, General worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 54 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
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.

3.5 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+187%Estimated return after 10 years
$75,246Observed earnings · year 4
$106,230Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0

The price benchmark is $98,609 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.

What stays fixed$75,246 observed annual earnings · 2 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$75,246Typical earnings four years after completion
$70,833Average earnings five years after completion
$10,841Typical federal student debt
92thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
53College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 0 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Engineering, General

How much do Engineering, General associate's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $75,246 four years after completion across reportable associate's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $10,841. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Engineering, General?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $72,003 to $79,421 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Engineering, General?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 4 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

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.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$85,144
Federal debt
$27,000
Programs in the comparison
6
3 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$75,246
Federal debt
$10,841
Programs in the comparison
54
53 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$88,063
Federal debt
$26,978
Programs in the comparison
59
57 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$123,834
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
29
29 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$138,039
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$122,252
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
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$72,003National median$75,24675th percentile$79,421
53 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$79,42175th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$10,841Median federal debt across programs that report it
2Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
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

Austin Community College District

$88,366 four years after completionAustin, TX · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Holyoke Community College

$8,907 among completer borrowersHolyoke, MA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Northern Virginia Community College

232 reported awards in 2024–25Annandale, 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.

$87,284Observed year-4 earnings$73,862
$4,462Annual college-wide average net price$12,148
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

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 →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

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$80,843

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

Career outlook

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

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Engineers, All Other$122,930 median wage154,070 jobs nationwide+3.7% projected growth through 2035 · 8,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$66,810–$189,950 typical wage rangeArchitectural 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 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 rangeNO MATCHUnreported jobs nationwide

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

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.

Associate's Degree

Engineering Science

Year-4 earnings
$76,355
Federal debt
$11,750
18 reporting programs →Associate's Degree

Computer Engineering

Year-4 earnings
$69,873
Federal debt
$23,635
6 reporting programs →Associate's Degree

Mechanical Engineering

Year-4 earnings
$71,115
Federal debt
$15,848
6 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

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.

VA7 programs$77,793 average earningsTX6 programs$74,241 average earningsNY6 programs$72,245 average earningsMA5 programs$72,607 average earnings

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.