Chemical Engineering: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 14.07. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 532 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 | 5 | 13 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Associate's degree | 29 | 45 | Data unavailable | $63,346 | Data unavailable |
| Bachelor's degree | 196 | 8,068 | $80,826 | $98,158 | $22,292 144 programs |
| Master's degree | 156 | 1,655 | $91,082 | $115,468 | Data unavailable |
| Doctoral degree | 126 | 1,139 | $122,309 | $141,187 | Data unavailable |
| Graduate certificate | 20 | 19 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology MA · Private, nonprofit · 20 graduates measured | $103,310 | $122,093 | Data unavailable |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus GA · Public · 24 graduates measured | $99,320 | $104,104 | $26,234 |
| The University of Texas at Austin TX · Public · 76 graduates measured | $93,355 | $115,423 | $15,438 |
| Texas A&M University-College Station TX · Public · 166 graduates measured | $91,414 | $111,073 | $19,500 |
| University of Houston TX · Public · 69 graduates measured | $90,666 | $110,184 | $24,000 |
| Cornell University NY · Private, nonprofit · 51 graduates measured | $90,501 | $116,165 | $13,500 |
| University of California-Berkeley CA · Public · 97 graduates measured | $89,950 | $121,027 | $17,417 |
| University of Maine ME · Public · 37 graduates measured | $88,587 | $94,964 | $23,207 |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison WI · Public · 82 graduates measured | $88,450 | $101,676 | $19,500 |
| University of California-Los Angeles CA · Public · 56 graduates measured | $88,013 | $108,066 | $13,350 |
| Rice University TX · Private, nonprofit · 16 graduates measured | $87,768 | $113,605 | Data unavailable |
| Prairie View A & M University TX · Public · 57 graduates measured | $87,407 | $92,591 | $26,128 |
| Case Western Reserve University OH · Private, nonprofit · 40 graduates measured | $87,085 | $96,533 | $24,702 |
| Lehigh University PA · Private, nonprofit · 35 graduates measured | $87,008 | $101,720 | $21,500 |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus WA · Public · 65 graduates measured | $87,003 | $109,551 | $14,293 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh NC · Public · 34 graduates measured | $102,111 | $131,873 | Data unavailable |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA · Private, nonprofit · 19 graduates measured | $98,171 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ · Public · 16 graduates measured | $96,887 | $116,890 | Data unavailable |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick NJ · Public · 32 graduates measured | $95,382 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| California State University-Long Beach CA · Public · 21 graduates measured | $93,023 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Northeastern University MA · Private, nonprofit · 19 graduates measured | $89,939 | $122,043 | Data unavailable |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology NJ · Public · 17 graduates measured | $88,260 | $110,950 | Data unavailable |
| University of California-San Diego CA · Public · 21 graduates measured | $88,165 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Drexel University PA · Private, nonprofit · 26 graduates measured | $86,566 | $116,242 | Data unavailable |
| University at Buffalo NY · Public · 22 graduates measured | $69,374 | $102,730 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology MA · Private, nonprofit · 18 graduates measured | $155,655 | $184,436 | Data unavailable |
| Stanford University CA · Private, nonprofit · 18 graduates measured | $134,925 | 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.
Careers linked to Chemical 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 |
| Chemical engineers | $125,040 | +4.7% | 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)
- 14.0701 Chemical Engineering
- 14.0702 Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- 14.0799 Chemical Engineering, Other