Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians graduates earn $81,678 four years out. Related careers are growing at up to 10.2%, one of the stronger demand signals across all fields. Software Developer is among the highest-growth roles in the field.
This page covers Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians as a course of study: what it costs, where it is taught, and what graduates go on to earn. It sits inside the wider field of Engineering Tech and how it pays overall, which is the better comparison if you are still choosing between subjects.
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians is a focused area of study within Engineering Tech. Pick this and you can expect to earn around $81,678 four years out, a strong return for a focused credential. You will not have trouble finding it: 131 colleges offer this program, from community colleges to research universities. About 2,458 students complete it each year, most walking away with a bachelor's. Coursework leans technical and quantitative, with lab or project work common.
Four years after finishing Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, a typical graduate earns $81,678, well above average for college graduates. Half of earners land somewhere between $61,581 and $104,236, so where you end up depends on the job and the employer. Source: College Scorecard.
What that figure means in practice depends on what the degree cost to get, which is a matter of lifetime earnings against total outlay.
Earnings grow steadily as you advance past entry-level roles. The four-year figure is a better long-term target.
Well above average for college graduates.
Median of per-school medians. Each reporting college counts equally, regardless of size.
Not every Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians graduate ends up in the same place. Earnings spread out widely, so know what pushes people to one end or the other. Sector is the biggest factor. Tech companies and finance firms tend to pay significantly more than government, education, or nonprofit employers in this field.
Strong ROI. At median 4-year earnings of $81,678 against an estimated $65,716 four-year net cost, most graduates break even against baseline wages in under two years.
Based on outcomes from 43 schools. Colleges with fewer than 30 graduates are excluded from national averages.
Of the 2,458 students who complete Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians programs each year, the majority (41%) earn a bachelor's degree. The breakdown below shows the full credential distribution.
This degree does not lock you into one job. Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians graduates show up in 8 different occupations, and Architectural & Engineering Manager pays the most at $171,270/yr median. Expand any card below to see daily responsibilities, in-demand skills, and 10-year growth projections.
The best-paid of these is what an Architectural & Engineering Manager earns and how fast the role is growing, though entry requirements vary across the list.
Not sure where to study Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians? These 20 colleges graduate the most students in it each year. Scroll right to compare acceptance rate, net price, and median earnings side by side.
Ranked by score, that list starts with the cost and outcomes at Eastern Illinois University, and the rest follow the same measures.
| # | College | Graduates | Acceptance | Net Price/yr | Earnings 10yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL · Public | 347 | 65.4% | $12,786 | $51,989 |
| 2 | Berklee College of Music Boston, MA · Nonprofit | 292 | 43.5% | $49,465 | $33,647 |
| 3 | Pierpont Community and Technical College Fairmont, WV · Public | 280 | Open | $8,325 | $35,132 |
| 4 | East Carolina University Greenville, NC · Public | 162 | 89.2% | $15,739 | $55,146 |
| 5 | Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA · Public | 132 | 90.4% | $14,638 | $54,914 |
| 6 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL · Nonprofit | 86 | 7.7% | $29,167 | $89,363 |
| 7 | Duke University Durham, NC · Nonprofit | 85 | 5.7% | $29,612 | $97,800 |
| 8 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH · Public | 82 | 81% | $24,022 | $47,896 |
| 9 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Stillwater, OK · Public | 73 | 75% | $17,447 | $57,413 |
| 10 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC · Public | 63 | 79.6% | $15,435 | $57,289 |
| 11 | Northwest State Community College Archbold, OH · Public | 47 | Open | $13,555 | $40,004 |
| 12 | Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN · Public | 44 | 49.9% | $14,600 | $72,424 |
| 13 | Florida International University Miami, FL · Public | 40 | 54.7% | $9,288 | $60,249 |
| 14 | Northern Essex Community College Haverhill, MA · Public | 23 | Open | $6,046 | $42,862 |
| 15 | Allegany College of Maryland Cumberland, MD · Public | 23 | Open | $8,819 | $38,476 |
| 16 | Middlesex Community College Bedford, MA · Public | 21 | Open | $2,624 | $50,651 |
| 17 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ · Public | 20 | 89.9% | $14,967 | $62,668 |
| 18 | Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI · Public | 20 | 79.6% | $15,407 | $51,793 |
| 19 | North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC · Public | 19 | 49.9% | $10,846 | $44,440 |
| 20 | Pittsburg State University Pittsburg, KS · Public | 18 | 89.4% | $15,784 | $50,579 |
Ranked by Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians graduate volume. Scroll right to compare key stats. Read our methodology →
Decide with data, not guesswork. These tools turn the numbers on this page into a personal plan. Estimate the real cost of an Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians program, compare colleges side-by-side, weigh the long-term payoff, and find schools that match your profile.
See if an Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians degree pays off. Weighs each college's cost against the earnings its graduates actually see.
Enter a budget and see the colleges whose net price fits, with the out-of-pocket cost and likely loan load for each.
Put any 2–4 colleges side-by-side. Admissions, cost, outcomes, and earnings, all on one screen, no tab-hopping.
Answer six quick questions and see your best-fit colleges ranked by budget, field of study, and what matters most to you.
Strong earnings and positive career growth make Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians a solid option. The 4 strengths and 0 trade-offs below are data-sourced from College Scorecard, BLS, and IPEDS.
The highest-earning college major out-pays the lowest by a factor of two and a half. The full ranking of all 38 fields by median graduate earnings, with job growth alongside.
A popular claim holds that the applied engineering-tech degree pays more than the theoretical one. Across every program, engineering wins by about $10,000.
Across 88 STEM programs the top one out-earns the bottom by $65,000 a year. Operations research pays $122,531; environmental design pays $57,461.
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
Scout uses AI and can make mistakes. Verify important numbers on the page.
