Engineering, General: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 14.01. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 1,072 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.
Graduate earnings by credential level
| Credential | Programs | Graduates (recent year) | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Typical program median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate certificate | 93 | 895 | $73,676 | $79,019 | $11,047 1 programs |
| Associate's degree | 453 | 4,909 | $47,691 | $72,916 | $10,500 11 programs |
| Bachelor's degree | 281 | 2,959 | $72,868 | $89,359 | $25,532 54 programs |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 3 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Master's degree | 141 | 4,081 | $106,845 | $120,215 | Data unavailable |
| Doctoral degree | 63 | 412 | $109,900 | $133,630 | Data unavailable |
| Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar) | 3 | 10 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Graduate certificate | 35 | 145 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
National earnings are published by the Department of Education for each field and credential level Verified data. Typical program median debt is ConnectPrep's calculation: the median across programs of each program's median federal debt Calculated estimate. It covers federal loans only.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data. Varies by measure; see measure definitions. Published October 15, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Undergraduate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus PA · Public · 20 graduates measured | $76,614 | $94,272 | Data unavailable |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona PA · Public · 24 graduates measured | $74,477 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks PA · Public · 24 graduates measured | $74,477 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus PA · Public · 24 graduates measured | $74,477 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Associate's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tidewater Community College VA · Public · 25 graduates measured | $71,100 | $76,492 | $14,000 |
| Austin Community College District TX · Public · 20 graduates measured | $69,746 | $88,366 | $23,000 |
| Quinsigamond Community College MA · Public · 20 graduates measured | $63,976 | $72,003 | Data unavailable |
| UCNJ Union College of Union County New Jersey NJ · Public · 16 graduates measured | $31,147 | $62,622 | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Bachelor's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey Mudd College CA · Private, nonprofit · 53 graduates measured | $95,545 | $122,845 | $26,000 |
| Massachusetts Maritime Academy MA · Public · 35 graduates measured | $93,141 | Data unavailable | $25,014 |
| Hampton University VA · Private, nonprofit · 21 graduates measured | $92,196 | Data unavailable | $17,750 |
| Franklin W Olin College of Engineering MA · Private, nonprofit · 24 graduates measured | $89,389 | $135,136 | $13,771 |
| Brown University RI · Private, nonprofit · 38 graduates measured | $87,175 | $108,550 | $15,000 |
| University of Maryland Eastern Shore MD · Public · 16 graduates measured | $81,264 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Michigan State University MI · Public · 108 graduates measured | $79,320 | $102,301 | $22,264 |
| University of California-Davis CA · Public · 46 graduates measured | $79,111 | $114,228 | Data unavailable |
| Texas Christian University TX · Private, nonprofit · 35 graduates measured | $78,978 | $93,753 | $21,500 |
| Northwest Nazarene University ID · Private, nonprofit · 16 graduates measured | $78,644 | $85,643 | Data unavailable |
| Wake Forest University NC · Private, nonprofit · 22 graduates measured | $78,620 | Data unavailable | $20,000 |
| Wilkes University PA · Private, nonprofit · 29 graduates measured | $77,164 | $86,308 | Data unavailable |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology MA · Private, nonprofit · 18 graduates measured | $77,038 | $96,695 | Data unavailable |
| Ohio University-Eastern Campus OH · Public · 86 graduates measured | $76,409 | Data unavailable | $25,625 |
| Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus OH · Public · 86 graduates measured | $76,409 | Data unavailable | $25,625 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Master's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of California-Los Angeles CA · Public · 78 graduates measured | $148,183 | $177,858 | Data unavailable |
| University of Colorado Boulder CO · Public · 56 graduates measured | $143,666 | $146,964 | Data unavailable |
| Purdue University-Main Campus IN · Public · 86 graduates measured | $132,800 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Vanderbilt University TN · Private, nonprofit · 27 graduates measured | $129,720 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln NE · Public · 35 graduates measured | $128,439 | $128,974 | Data unavailable |
| University of Colorado Colorado Springs CO · Public · 37 graduates measured | $125,541 | $133,079 | Data unavailable |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison WI · Public · 65 graduates measured | $123,302 | $147,101 | Data unavailable |
| University of California-Riverside CA · Public · 54 graduates measured | $118,979 | $122,820 | Data unavailable |
| Northeastern University MA · Private, nonprofit · 21 graduates measured | $116,350 | $119,842 | Data unavailable |
| Northeastern University Professional Programs MA · Private, nonprofit · 21 graduates measured | $116,350 | $119,842 | Data unavailable |
| University of Maryland-College Park MD · Public · 116 graduates measured | $112,208 | $126,854 | Data unavailable |
| University of Wisconsin-Platteville WI · Public · 50 graduates measured | $110,282 | $115,411 | Data unavailable |
| Case Western Reserve University OH · Private, nonprofit · 16 graduates measured | $109,453 | $125,093 | Data unavailable |
| University of Arkansas AR · Public · 54 graduates measured | $107,773 | $123,834 | Data unavailable |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham AL · Public · 206 graduates measured | $107,483 | $118,501 | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Careers linked to Engineering, General
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural and engineering managers | $171,270 | +5.5% | Bachelor's degree |
| Engineers, all other | $122,930 | +3.7% | Bachelor's degree |
| Engineering teachers, postsecondary | $109,270 | +7.8% | Doctoral or professional degree |
Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk. CIP 2020 and SOC 2018 taxonomies. Published April 30, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National. May 2025 reference period. Published April 30, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Base year 2025, projected year 2035. Published August 27, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Detailed CIP codes in this field (3)
- 14.0101 Engineering, General
- 14.0102 Pre-Engineering
- 14.0103 Applied Engineering