Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General: is this bachelor's degree worth it?
National picture across 37 reporting college programs.
MODELED SCENARIO · Positive payoff
+$95,709 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.
7.2 yrsModeled economic break-even
+39%Modeled 10-year ROI
$79,055Observed earnings · year 4
Observed national outcomes
$79,055Median reported earnings · year 4
$79,667Average reported earnings · year 5
$26,325Median federal debt
73thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
37Reporting 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
- $63,347
- Federal debt
- $7,906
- Reporting programs
- 4
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $82,564
- Federal debt
- $12,917
- Reporting programs
- 24
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $79,055
- Federal debt
- $26,325
- Reporting programs
- 37
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $116,993
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 3
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$75,298National median$79,05575th percentile$81,690
34 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1Drexel University$97,3792Bemidji State University$90,8683Miami University-Hamilton$89,8624Miami University-Middletown$89,8625Miami University-Oxford$89,8626Kennesaw State University$89,7297Texas A&M University-College Station$88,1268New Jersey Institute of Technology$86,3609DeVry University-Illinois$83,55410New Mexico State University-Main Campus$81,690Observed 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.
Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and TechniciansSOC 17-3024 · 2 crosswalk linksAerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and TechniciansSOC 17-3021 · 1 crosswalk linksCivil Engineering Technologists and TechniciansSOC 17-3022 · 1 crosswalk linksElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and TechniciansSOC 17-3023 · 1 crosswalk linksEngineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All OtherSOC 17-3029 · 1 crosswalk linksIndustrial Engineering Technologists and TechniciansSOC 17-3026 · 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 | Drexel UniversityBachelor's Degree | Philadelphia, PA | $97,379 | $31,000 | +57% | Positive payoff |
| 2 | Bemidji State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Bemidji, MN | $90,868 | $30,982 | +90% | Positive payoff |
| 3 | Miami University-HamiltonBachelor's Degree | Hamilton, OH | $89,862 | $26,325 | +99% | Positive payoff |
| 4 | Miami University-MiddletownBachelor's Degree | Middletown, OH | $89,862 | $26,325 | +101% | Strong payoff |
| 5 | Miami University-OxfordBachelor's Degree | Oxford, OH | $89,862 | $26,325 | +53% | Positive payoff |
| 6 | Kennesaw State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Kennesaw, GA | $89,729 | $31,000 | +86% | Positive payoff |
| 7 | Texas A&M University-College StationBachelor's Degree | College Station, TX | $88,126 | Not available | +63% | Positive payoff |
| 8 | New Jersey Institute of TechnologyBachelor's Degree | Newark, NJ | $86,360 | $24,000 | +68% | Positive payoff |
| 9 | DeVry University-IllinoisBachelor's Degree | Lisle, IL | $83,554 | Not available | +27% | Positive payoff |
| 10 | New Mexico State University-Main CampusBachelor's Degree | Las Cruces, NM | $81,690 | $22,000 | +70% | Positive payoff |
| 11 | Northern Illinois UniversityBachelor's Degree | Dekalb, IL | $81,554 | $27,274 | +57% | Positive payoff |
| 12 | Middle Tennessee State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Murfreesboro, TN | $80,541 | $28,327 | +52% | Positive payoff |
| 13 | Illinois State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Normal, IL | $80,530 | $19,500 | +38% | Positive payoff |
| 14 | New York Institute of TechnologyBachelor's Degree | Old Westbury, NY | $80,376 | $25,500 | +31% | Positive payoff |
| 15 | University of MemphisBachelor's Degree | Memphis, TN | $79,914 | $27,600 | +52% | Positive payoff |
| 16 | Temple UniversityBachelor's Degree | Philadelphia, PA | $79,351 | $30,625 | +17% | Positive payoff |
| 17 | Austin Peay State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Clarksville, TN | $79,309 | $26,679 | +57% | Positive payoff |
| 18 | Western Carolina UniversityBachelor's Degree | Cullowhee, NC | $78,801 | $25,250 | +45% | Positive payoff |
| 19 | Texas State UniversityBachelor's Degree | San Marcos, TX | $78,671 | $24,000 | +36% | Positive payoff |
| 20 | Tennessee Technological UniversityBachelor's Degree | Cookeville, TN | $77,658 | $23,000 | +38% | Positive payoff |
| 21 | Wichita State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Wichita, KS | $77,103 | $23,875 | +38% | Positive payoff |
| 22 | University of Wisconsin-StoutBachelor's Degree | Menomonie, WI | $76,784 | $25,000 | +27% | Positive payoff |
| 23 | Morehead State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Morehead, KY | $76,568 | $28,396 | +44% | Positive payoff |
| 24 | Western Illinois UniversityBachelor's Degree | Macomb, IL | $75,922 | $32,373 | +33% | Positive payoff |
| 25 | University of Central MissouriBachelor's Degree | Warrensburg, MO | $75,375 | $26,000 | +28% | Positive payoff |
| 26 | East Tennessee State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Johnson City, TN | $75,298 | $27,000 | +24% | Positive payoff |
| 27 | Southeastern Louisiana UniversityBachelor's Degree | Hammond, LA | $74,785 | $27,732 | +28% | Positive payoff |
| 28 | Kansas State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Manhattan, KS | $72,544 | $22,250 | +7% | Positive payoff |
| 29 | Grambling State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Grambling, LA | $68,760 | $44,625 | -8% | Negative payoff |
| 30 | Southwestern Oklahoma State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Weatherford, OK | $64,751 | $20,035 | -17% | Negative payoff |
| 31 | Kent State University at TuscarawasBachelor's Degree | New Philadelphia, OH | $64,201 | $27,000 | -17% | Negative payoff |
| 32 | Kent State University at KentBachelor's Degree | Kent, OH | $64,201 | $27,000 | -27% | Negative payoff |
| 33 | Southeast Missouri State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Cape Girardeau, MO | $62,781 | $23,458 | -27% | Negative payoff |
| 34 | Berea CollegeBachelor's Degree | Berea, KY | $55,830 | Not available | -47% | Negative payoff |
| 35 | University of West FloridaBachelor's Degree | Pensacola, FL | Not available | $23,000 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $9,364 |
| 36 | Southern Utah UniversityBachelor's Degree | Cedar City, UT | Not available | $8,000 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $10,462 |
| 37 | Eastern Washington UniversityBachelor's Degree | Cheney, WA | Not available | $25,666 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $13,886 |
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.