BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a bachelor's degree in Materials Engineering worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 37 college programs with reportable data.
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
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.
5.4 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+84%Estimated return after 10 years
$91,799Observed earnings · year 4
$71,998Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $53,505 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+$287,990
$18,000Current college-wide context+$215,990
$20,000Annual price+$207,990
$40,000Annual price+$127,990
$60,000Annual price+$47,990
$80,000Annual price−$32,010
$100,000Annual price−$112,010
Outcomes at a glance
$91,799Typical earnings four years after completion
$90,679Average earnings five years after completion
$23,250Typical federal student debt
88thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
11Degrees awarded in 2024–25
34College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 6 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Materials Engineering
How much do Materials Engineering bachelor's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $91,799 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 $23,250. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Materials Engineering?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $86,084 to $94,694 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Materials Engineering?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 4 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
- $91,799
- Federal debt
- $23,250
- Programs in the comparison
- 37
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $119,694
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 7
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $128,018
- 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$86,084National median$91,79975th percentile$94,694
34 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
Purdue University-Main Campus
$107,557 four years after completionWest Lafayette, IN · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtUniversity of California, Irvine
$9,987 among completer borrowersIrvine, CA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
92 reported awards in 2024–25Champaign, IL · 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.
$100,599Observed year-4 earnings$83,985
Purdue University-Main Campus$14,600 price · $107,557 earningsUniversity of California, Irvine$14,251 price · $106,547 earningsCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$16,665 price · $100,599 earningsUniversity of Michigan-Ann Arbor$13,138 price · $98,879 earningsUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$14,355 price · $97,924 earningsLehigh University$36,931 price · $97,904 earningsUniversity of Maryland-College Park$15,678 price · $97,714 earningsMichigan State University$19,680 price · $95,761 earningsUniversity of Washington-Seattle Campus$14,091 price · $95,314 earningsDrexel University$38,509 price · $94,694 earningsUniversity of Connecticut$25,097 price · $93,464 earningsUniversity of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus$10,875 price · $93,464 earningsUniversity of Connecticut-Avery Point$13,807 price · $93,464 earningsUniversity of Connecticut-Stamford$16,798 price · $93,464 earningsUniversity of Connecticut-Hartford Campus$16,403 price · $93,464 earningsGeorgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus$12,116 price · $92,260 earningsMichigan Technological University$14,182 price · $92,070 earningsWinona State University$17,503 price · $91,528 earningsUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison$17,354 price · $91,265 earningsVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University$24,953 price · $90,828 earningsUniversity of California, Davis$14,741 price · $89,983 earningsNorth Carolina State University at Raleigh$17,303 price · $89,968 earningsArizona State University Campus Immersion$14,967 price · $89,913 earningsUniversity of Florida$6,541 price · $87,779 earningsWashington State University$14,971 price · $86,145 earningsOhio State University-Main Campus$17,339 price · $86,084 earningsClemson University$22,253 price · $85,883 earningsUniversity of Kentucky$18,851 price · $84,796 earningsUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham$18,749 price · $83,985 earningsUniversity of Minnesota-Twin Cities$16,778 price · $83,945 earnings
$10,875Annual college-wide average net price$25,097
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.
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
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 →12%
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 rangeMaterials Engineers$112,860 median wage22,770 jobs nationwide+7.5% projected growth through 2035 · 1,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$72,300–$175,720 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 rangeCost Estimators$78,740 median wage224,220 jobs nationwide-3.1% projected growth through 2035 · 17,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,530–$130,820 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.