One of the highest paid degrees is in engineering and this is a popular choice amongst those that are aspiring to work with buildings and product development, as well as students that have a penchant for science and math.
The top ten colleges listed below comes from the College Factual and is ranked based on the overall quality with the salary details being provided from Payscale. Please note that this is not a specific ranking for engineering major, rather it is an overview of how the college does in all areas of the engineering degree that they offer.
The Colorado School of Mines – Golden, Colorado
This college has incredibly high admission standards and is a public research university with one of the main focuses of the school falling on responsible use of the earth’s resources.
The most popular field of study at Colorado School of Mines is engineering with majors offered in petroleum and general engineering. The degrees offered continue to Ph.D level and is also ranked as one of the greatest value for money colleges with tuition fees and high outcomes for all students. Commonly, engineering graduates will start on an average wage of $68,000.
The Georgia Institute of Technology Main Campus – Atlanta
The Georgia Institute is another public research university that has extremely high academic standards. Due to the high outcomes and reasonable fees this is ranked as one of the best value schools and has a low student loan default rate, with those graduating in engineering reporting average starting salaries in the region of $61,000.
The Missouri University of Science & Technology – Rolla, Missouri
The MST (Missouri University of Science & Technology) offers four year degrees to Ph.D level with two of the most popular majors being civil and mechanical engineering. Although this university is not as selective as the Colorado School of Mines or the Georgia Institute of Technology Main Campus it still produces high student outcomes which see it ranking high on the list of best value. Engineering graduates from this university can expect a starting salary of about $60,000.
The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – Troy, New York
The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a medium sized private research college which specializes in engineering and science degrees. Offering fair value and students that complete their degrees are achieving higher than average starting salaries of $60,000 and also low student loan default rates. The college offers degrees to Ph.D level with the most popular undergraduate majors include biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering and Civil engineering.
The Worcester Polytechnic Institute – Worcester, Massachusetts
The Worcester Polytechnic is a private school that is highly selective and offers engineering degrees through to Ph.D level. The mechanical and electrical engineering degrees are the most popular majors. Whilst the college is quite pricey the high student outcomes make it reasonable value with those graduating with engineering degrees earning a starting salary in the range of $62,000.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Cambridge, Mass
MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) is a large, private research university that is well known due to its selectivity and high outcomes for the students. This is a diverse college and is ranked within the top in the country. Engineering is the most popular study choice at Massachusetts Institute of Technology with mechanical engineering the most popular major. Those students that graduate with an engineering degree report higher starting salaries of $71,000.
The Stevens Institute of Technology – Hoboken, New Jersey
The Stevens Institute of Technology located in New Jersey is a highly selective private research university and whilst the university has high academic standards it also comes with a high price tag. Offering degrees in engineering to Ph.D level, the most popular undergraduate majors are civil and mechanical engineering. Those gaining a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology can expect to earn $60,000 when entering the work market.
The Illinois Institute of Technology – Chicago
The Illinois Institute of Technology was founded with the sole purpose of supplying meaningful education to students regardless of their backgrounds, and they can study up to Ph.D level. The university holds a heavy focus upon technology and science with mechanical and architectural engineering being amongst the most popular majors. The university has a serious commitment to full time teachers offering smaller than average class sizes and a low default rate on student loans.
The United States Naval Academy – Annapolis, MD
The Naval Academy is extremely selective, accepting just 7% of applicants at any one time. There is a very low student to faculty ratio that stands at nine to one and there are also a high amount of full time teachers. Students graduating from the academy with an engineering degree have average early salaries in the region of $73,000.
The Clarkson University – Potsdam, New York
Clarkson is located in a rural, northern New York town and this is a small, private university and although small it offers excellent education in the area of engineering. The school sports a low student loan default rate and considered exceptionally good value for money. The average starting salary of an engineering graduate from the Clarkson University starts at $58,000.
