Biomedical/Medical Engineering: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 14.05. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 599 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 | 11 | 73 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Associate's degree | 10 | 11 | Data unavailable | $78,651 | Data unavailable |
| Bachelor's degree | 213 | 8,633 | $70,896 | $93,451 | $21,125 124 programs |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 3 | 0 | $95,733 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Master's degree | 190 | 3,716 | $83,324 | $106,375 | Data unavailable |
| Doctoral degree | 146 | 1,334 | $105,607 | $131,848 | Data unavailable |
| Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar) | 1 | 0 | $91,846 | $143,657 | Data unavailable |
| Graduate certificate | 25 | 147 | 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.
Bachelor's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pennsylvania PA · Private, nonprofit · 19 graduates measured | $94,928 | $126,419 | Data unavailable |
| Carnegie Mellon University PA · Private, nonprofit · 39 graduates measured | $88,060 | $109,648 | $20,824 |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo CA · Public · 74 graduates measured | $84,426 | $109,232 | $19,000 |
| Santa Clara University CA · Private, nonprofit · 19 graduates measured | $84,402 | $114,426 | Data unavailable |
| George Washington University DC · Private, nonprofit · 24 graduates measured | $83,703 | $100,601 | $20,500 |
| Tufts University MA · Private, nonprofit · 25 graduates measured | $83,594 | Data unavailable | $14,749 |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA · Private, nonprofit · 110 graduates measured | $82,436 | $92,806 | $27,000 |
| Tulane University of Louisiana LA · Private, nonprofit · 20 graduates measured | $82,229 | $112,914 | Data unavailable |
| Cornell University NY · Private, nonprofit · 26 graduates measured | $81,507 | Data unavailable | $16,962 |
| Stevens Institute of Technology NJ · Private, nonprofit · 29 graduates measured | $81,424 | $99,842 | $27,000 |
| Union College NY · Private, nonprofit · 16 graduates measured | $81,267 | $86,182 | $27,000 |
| Lehigh University PA · Private, nonprofit · 40 graduates measured | $80,379 | $106,260 | $20,000 |
| Case Western Reserve University OH · Private, nonprofit · 53 graduates measured | $79,964 | $94,168 | $21,500 |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison WI · Public · 39 graduates measured | $79,909 | $99,762 | $21,500 |
| University of New Hampshire-Main Campus NH · Public · 24 graduates measured | $79,877 | $92,984 | 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.
Post-baccalaureate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke University NC · Private, nonprofit · 27 graduates measured | $97,511 | 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.
Master's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tufts University MA · Private, nonprofit · 22 graduates measured | $116,181 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Johns Hopkins University MD · Private, nonprofit · 82 graduates measured | $100,807 | $115,950 | Data unavailable |
| Keck Graduate Institute CA · Private, nonprofit · 35 graduates measured | $99,601 | $127,709 | Data unavailable |
| George Washington University DC · Private, nonprofit · 18 graduates measured | $98,441 | $105,496 | Data unavailable |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA · Private, nonprofit · 17 graduates measured | $96,154 | $106,581 | Data unavailable |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN · Public · 21 graduates measured | $95,845 | $112,691 | Data unavailable |
| Columbia University in the City of New York NY · Private, nonprofit · 22 graduates measured | $94,670 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Carnegie Mellon University PA · Private, nonprofit · 31 graduates measured | $94,350 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick NJ · Public · 24 graduates measured | $93,050 | $108,578 | Data unavailable |
| Duke University NC · Private, nonprofit · 45 graduates measured | $91,874 | $112,081 | Data unavailable |
| University of California-San Diego CA · Public · 53 graduates measured | $91,168 | $127,935 | Data unavailable |
| University of Connecticut CT · Public · 27 graduates measured | $90,849 | $113,487 | Data unavailable |
| University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus CT · Public · 27 graduates measured | $90,849 | $113,487 | Data unavailable |
| University of Connecticut-Avery Point CT · Public · 27 graduates measured | $90,849 | $113,487 | Data unavailable |
| University of Connecticut-Stamford CT · Public · 27 graduates measured | $90,849 | $113,487 | 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.
Doctoral degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Utah UT · Public · 19 graduates measured | $115,592 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus PA · Public · 20 graduates measured | $114,952 | $158,761 | Data unavailable |
| Duke University NC · Private, nonprofit · 20 graduates measured | $114,810 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Washington University in St Louis MO · Private, nonprofit · 16 graduates measured | $90,911 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor MI · Public · 19 graduates measured | $87,221 | 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.
Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar) programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of California-Berkeley CA · Public · 47 graduates measured | $93,706 | $135,248 | 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 Biomedical/Medical Engineering
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural and engineering managers | $171,270 | +5.5% | Bachelor's degree |
| Bioengineers and biomedical engineers | $109,370 | +7.6% | 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 (1)
- 14.0501 Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering