Materials Engineering: degree ROI, salary & best colleges
Materials Engineering graduates earn a median $91,449 four years after finishing — $43,089/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 1.6 years. Federal data pools 61 bachelor's programs graduating roughly 1,527 students a year. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026 · our math.)
Materials Engineering ranks #22 of 202 bachelor's fields by earnings — pays more than 90% of majors.
| # | College | State | Grad earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue University-Main Campus | IN | $107,557 |
| 2 | University of California-Irvine | CA | $106,547 |
| 3 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | CA | $100,599 |
| 4 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | $98,879 |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | IL | $97,924 |
| 6 | Lehigh University | PA | $97,904 |
| 7 | University of Maryland-College Park | MD | $97,714 |
| 8 | Michigan State University | MI | $95,761 |
| 9 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | WA | $95,314 |
| 10 | Drexel University | PA | $94,694 |
| 11 | University of Connecticut | CT | $93,464 |
| 12 | University of Connecticut-Stamford | CT | $93,464 |
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.