UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a undergraduate certificate or diploma in Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 12 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$57,798 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$57,798Median year-4 earnings
$12,111Average institution net-price context
$11,250Median federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$57,798Typical earnings four years after completion
$55,396Average earnings five years after completion
$11,250Typical federal student debt
65thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
186Degrees awarded in 2024–25
12College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 8 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians
How much do Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians undergraduate certificate or diploma graduates earn?
The national median is $57,798 four years after completion across reportable undergraduate certificate or diploma programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $11,250. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $44,982 to $66,662 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 7 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
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $57,798
- Federal debt
- $11,250
- Programs in the comparison
- 12
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $66,606
- Federal debt
- $16,944
- Programs in the comparison
- 42
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $81,765
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Programs in the comparison
- 63
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $114,566
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 2
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$44,982National median$57,79875th percentile$66,662
12 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
Ferris State University
$82,512 four years after completionBig Rapids, MI · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtWichita State University-Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology
$7,503 among completer borrowersWichita, KS · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classColumbus State Community College
52 reported awards in 2024–25Columbus, OH · 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.
$73,405Observed year-4 earnings$34,511
Ferris State University$8,624 price · $82,512 earningsLos Angeles Trade Technical College$12,323 price · $73,405 earningsSouthwest Technology Center$14,313 price · $69,613 earningsTidewater Community College$11,762 price · $66,662 earningsMiddle Georgia State University$12,361 price · $59,223 earningsColumbus State Community College$8,400 price · $57,644 earningsWake Technical Community College$8,759 price · $55,780 earningsSpartan College of Aeronautics and Technology$29,776 price · $55,352 earningsWichita State University-Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology$8,805 price · $44,982 earningsCrowder College$9,023 price · $41,030 earningsNew Community Career & Technical Institute$9,075 price · $34,511 earnings
$8,400Annual college-wide average net price$14,313
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
11 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 11 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Ferris State University$82,5122Los Angeles Trade Technical College$73,4053Southwest Technology Center$69,6134Tidewater Community College$66,6625Middle Georgia State University$59,2236Columbus State Community College$57,6447Wake Technical Community College$55,7808Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology$55,3529Wichita State University-Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology$44,98210Crowder College$41,030Observed 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 ↑
-8%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.
Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians$74,510 median wage36,190 jobs nationwide+1.3% projected growth through 2035 · 3,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$48,400–$106,050 typical wage rangeMechanical Drafters$71,550 median wage39,960 jobs nationwide-6.0% projected growth through 2035 · 2,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$48,360–$106,580 typical wage rangeEngineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other$78,350 median wage59,930 jobs nationwide+2.8% projected growth through 2035 · 5,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$47,030–$118,330 typical wage rangeAutomotive Service Technicians and Mechanics$50,620 median wage704,640 jobs nationwide+5.0% projected growth through 2035 · 66,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$34,660–$81,790 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 rangeElectro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians$73,900 median wage15,520 jobs nationwide+2.6% projected growth through 2035 · 1,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$47,840–$109,890 typical wage rangeMotorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians$57,550 median wage23,220 jobs nationwide+4.9% projected growth through 2035 · 2,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$36,950–$79,330 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
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.