Materials Engineering: is this bachelor's degree worth it?
National picture across 37 reporting college programs.
MODELED SCENARIO · Positive payoff
+$214,019 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.
5.4 yrsModeled economic break-even
+84%Modeled 10-year ROI
$91,799Observed earnings · year 4
Observed national outcomes
$91,799Median reported earnings · year 4
$90,679Average reported earnings · year 5
$23,250Median federal debt
88thYear-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.
CURRENT VIEW
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $91,799
- Federal debt
- $23,250
- Reporting programs
- 37
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $119,694
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 7
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $128,018
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 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$86,084National median$91,79975th percentile$94,694
34 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1Purdue University-Main Campus$107,5572University of California, Irvine$106,5473California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$100,5994University of Michigan-Ann Arbor$98,8795University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$97,9246Lehigh University$97,9047University of Maryland-College Park$97,7148Michigan State University$95,7619University of Washington-Seattle Campus$95,31410Drexel University$94,694Observed 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 · 1 crosswalk linksCost EstimatorsSOC 13-1051 · 1 crosswalk linksEngineering Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1032 · 1 crosswalk linksMaterials EngineersSOC 17-2131 · 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 | Purdue University-Main CampusBachelor's Degree | West Lafayette, IN | $107,557 | $21,335 | +162% | Strong payoff |
| 2 | University of California, IrvineBachelor's Degree | Irvine, CA | $106,547 | $9,987 | +160% | Strong payoff |
| 3 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoBachelor's Degree | San Luis Obispo, CA | $100,599 | $17,000 | +125% | Strong payoff |
| 4 | University of Michigan-Ann ArborBachelor's Degree | Ann Arbor, MI | $98,879 | $17,750 | +132% | Strong payoff |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignBachelor's Degree | Champaign, IL | $97,924 | $17,916 | +123% | Strong payoff |
| 6 | Lehigh UniversityBachelor's Degree | Bethlehem, PA | $97,904 | $26,324 | +61% | Positive payoff |
| 7 | University of Maryland-College ParkBachelor's Degree | College Park, MD | $97,714 | Not available | +117% | Strong payoff |
| 8 | Michigan State UniversityBachelor's Degree | East Lansing, MI | $95,761 | $27,925 | +96% | Positive payoff |
| 9 | University of Washington-Seattle CampusBachelor's Degree | Seattle, WA | $95,314 | $20,915 | +113% | Strong payoff |
| 10 | Drexel UniversityBachelor's Degree | Philadelphia, PA | $94,694 | $31,000 | +49% | Positive payoff |
| 11 | University of ConnecticutBachelor's Degree | Storrs, CT | $93,464 | $27,000 | +73% | Positive payoff |
| 12 | University of Connecticut-Waterbury CampusBachelor's Degree | Waterbury, CT | $93,464 | $27,000 | +117% | Strong payoff |
| 13 | University of Connecticut-Avery PointBachelor's Degree | Groton, CT | $93,464 | $27,000 | +106% | Strong payoff |
| 14 | University of Connecticut-StamfordBachelor's Degree | Stamford, CT | $93,464 | $27,000 | +96% | Positive payoff |
| 15 | University of Connecticut-Hartford CampusBachelor's Degree | Hartford, CT | $93,464 | $27,000 | +97% | Positive payoff |
| 16 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusBachelor's Degree | Atlanta, GA | $92,260 | $17,123 | +107% | Strong payoff |
| 17 | Michigan Technological UniversityBachelor's Degree | Houghton, MI | $92,070 | $27,000 | +99% | Positive payoff |
| 18 | Winona State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Winona, MN | $91,528 | $22,000 | +86% | Positive payoff |
| 19 | University of Wisconsin-MadisonBachelor's Degree | Madison, WI | $91,265 | $20,676 | +85% | Positive payoff |
| 20 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Blacksburg, VA | $90,828 | $27,000 | +64% | Positive payoff |
| 21 | University of California, DavisBachelor's Degree | Davis, CA | $89,983 | $18,777 | +88% | Positive payoff |
| 22 | North Carolina State University at RaleighBachelor's Degree | Raleigh, NC | $89,968 | $21,111 | +80% | Positive payoff |
| 23 | Arizona State University Campus ImmersionBachelor's Degree | Tempe, AZ | $89,913 | $23,733 | +87% | Positive payoff |
| 24 | University of FloridaBachelor's Degree | Gainesville, FL | $87,779 | Not available | +107% | Strong payoff |
| 25 | Washington State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Pullman, WA | $86,145 | $29,760 | +72% | Positive payoff |
| 26 | Ohio State University-Main CampusBachelor's Degree | Columbus, OH | $86,084 | $19,500 | +65% | Positive payoff |
| 27 | Clemson UniversityBachelor's Degree | Clemson, SC | $85,883 | $25,243 | +52% | Positive payoff |
| 28 | University of KentuckyBachelor's Degree | Lexington, KY | $84,796 | Not available | +56% | Positive payoff |
| 29 | University of Alabama at BirminghamBachelor's Degree | Birmingham, AL | $83,985 | Not available | +53% | Positive payoff |
| 30 | University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesBachelor's Degree | Minneapolis, MN | $83,945 | $21,250 | +58% | Positive payoff |
| 31 | Iowa State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Ames, IA | $83,416 | $23,125 | +51% | Positive payoff |
| 32 | Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteBachelor's Degree | Troy, NY | $82,947 | $23,250 | +17% | Positive payoff |
| 33 | University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeBachelor's Degree | Milwaukee, WI | $82,131 | $29,750 | +55% | Positive payoff |
| 34 | University of North TexasBachelor's Degree | Denton, TX | $78,250 | $26,823 | +37% | Positive payoff |
| 35 | Boise State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Boise, ID | Not available | $25,000 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $21,610 |
| 36 | Cornell UniversityBachelor's Degree | Ithaca, NY | Not available | $18,000 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $28,690 |
| 37 | The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleBachelor's Degree | Knoxville, TN | Not available | $19,500 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $18,976 |
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.