College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 59 colleges (59 of 59 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$58,773

Graduates only, early career.$58,673 two years out.

Median federal debt

$25,234

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.43×

43% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is well under a single year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians report early-career pay between $55,914 and $62,246 — a spread of $6,332 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $55,914 median $58,773 75th pct $62,246

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Certificate 5 colleges $41,678 $6,175 0.15×

Associate's 18 colleges $48,680 $16,500 0.34×

Bachelor's 59 colleges $58,773 $25,234 0.43×

Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

Cal Poly Maritime Academy CA $95,733 $24,757 debt

University of Massachusetts-Lowell MA $78,046 —

Wayne State University MI $72,343 —

Cleveland State University OH $67,269 —

Central Connecticut State University CT $66,701 $29,250 debt

Weber State University UT $66,394 $12,250 debt

Rochester Institute of Technology NY $65,455 $28,000 debt

University of North Texas TX $65,298 $23,980 debt

Purdue University-Main Campus IN $64,679 $19,500 debt

Central Michigan University MI $64,535 $28,000 debt

Ferris State University MI $64,480 $23,500 debt

Michigan Technological University MI $63,302 $29,598 debt

New England Institute of Technology RI $62,855 $29,833 debt

University of Dayton OH $62,507 $27,000 debt

Eastern Michigan University MI $62,313 $27,000 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard