Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General: degree ROI, salary & best colleges
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General graduates earn a median $80,526 four years after finishing — $32,166/yr above the $48,360 high-school baseline. At a typical $16,906/yr net price ($67,624 over four years), that pays back in about 2.1 years. Federal data pools 69 bachelor's programs graduating roughly 1,574 students a year. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026 · our math.)
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General ranks #52 of 202 bachelor's fields by earnings — pays more than 75% of majors.
| # | College | State | Grad earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drexel University | PA | $97,379 |
| 2 | Bemidji State University | MN | $90,868 |
| 3 | Miami University-Oxford | OH | $89,862 |
| 4 | Miami University-Hamilton | OH | $89,862 |
| 5 | Kennesaw State University | GA | $89,729 |
| 6 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | $88,126 |
| 7 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | NJ | $86,360 |
| 8 | DeVry University-Illinois | IL | $83,554 |
| 9 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | NM | $81,690 |
| 10 | Northern Illinois University | IL | $81,554 |
| 11 | Middle Tennessee State University | TN | $80,541 |
| 12 | Illinois State University | IL | $80,530 |
College Scorecard field-of-study (2026), program-level median earnings for this CIP · our ranking.
How we compute this. Earnings are the national median for graduates of this field measured 1 and 4 years after completion (Scorecard field-of-study, bachelor's). Premium = 4-year earnings − the $48,360 high-school baseline. Payback = a representative 4-year net cost (median college net price × 4) ÷ premium. Field medians blend every school — a specific program can pay far more or less. Full method on the methodology page; the field ranking is on ROI by major.