Does an Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering Degree Pay Off? Earnings, Debt & Schools

Other degree levels for this field: Master's degrees

This page shows what graduates with a bachelor's degree in Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering earn four years after graduating, what they typically owe, the schools that report these figures (listed alphabetically), and the occupations linked to this field by the federal CIP-to-SOC crosswalk. It covers 242 reporting units (schools, or groups of campuses that report together) with these figures.

Median earnings, 4 years after graduation

$100,647

All graduates nationally

Middle half of graduates nationally

$84,635–$122,440

25th to 75th percentile

Typical federal debt of graduates

$25,000

Median across reporting units

Schools reporting earnings for Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering graduates

Listed alphabetically to start; MajorPays does not rank schools. Click a column heading to sort; shift-click more headings to sort by several columns as a group. Median earnings four years after graduation, bachelor's degree, for programs with at least 30 graduates measured (189 reporting units; campuses that share one federal school ID report together and appear once). Schools with fewer graduates in the major, or whose figure the Department of Education withholds, are not listed.

School	State	Median earnings, 4 years after	Graduates measured
Alabama A & M University	AL	$98,045	43
Arizona State University Campus Immersion (reported together with 1 other campus under one federal school ID)	AZ	$104,757	306
Auburn University	AL	$99,799	59
Baylor University	TX	$100,110	37
Binghamton University	NY	$99,397	64
Boise State University	ID	$100,680	42
Bradley University	IL	$100,391	32
Brigham Young University	UT	$99,774	54
Brigham Young University-Idaho	ID	$93,873	42
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	CA	$125,240	118
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	CA	$103,924	156
California State University-Fresno	CA	$108,038	33
California State University-Fullerton	CA	$92,618	79
California State University-Long Beach	CA	$103,075	172
California State University-Los Angeles	CA	$96,014	86
California State University-Northridge	CA	$104,065	85
California State University-Sacramento	CA	$103,512	116
Carnegie Mellon University	PA	$250,168	113
Case Western Reserve University	OH	$99,557	39
Citadel Military College of South Carolina	SC	$88,869	39
Clarkson University	NY	$97,750	70
Clemson University	SC	$96,446	77
Cleveland State University	OH	$87,713	47
College of Staten Island CUNY	NY	$92,542	36
Colorado School of Mines	CO	$106,012	73
Colorado State University-Fort Collins	CO	$99,172	45
Cornell University	NY	$147,241	78
CUNY City College	NY	$97,698	110
Drexel University	PA	$102,978	106
Eastern Washington University	WA	$85,599	49
Florida Atlantic University	FL	$93,561	62
Florida International University	FL	$98,697	107
Florida State University	FL	$93,740	45
George Mason University	VA	$103,074	90
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus	GA	$111,655	169
Georgia Southern University	GA	$95,467	74
Grand Valley State University	MI	$100,456	31
Illinois Institute of Technology	IL	$98,743	35
Indiana University-Indianapolis	IN	$97,841	45
Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon	PR	$60,940	36
Iowa State University	IA	$99,705	111
Kansas State University	KS	$95,640	43
Kennesaw State University	GA	$96,935	143
Kettering University	MI	$109,977	42
Lamar University	TX	$103,037	31
Liberty University	VA	$89,244	35
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College	LA	$97,208	79
Louisiana Tech University	LA	$99,526	35
Manhattan University	NY	$100,884	43
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	MA	$161,118	109
Michigan State University	MI	$100,481	78
Michigan Technological University	MI	$99,848	116
Milwaukee School of Engineering	WI	$93,201	105
Mississippi State University	MS	$106,039	64
Missouri University of Science and Technology	MO	$98,264	122
Montana State University	MT	$98,331	50
Morgan State University	MD	$98,640	72
New Jersey Institute of Technology	NJ	$97,718	110
New Mexico State University-Main Campus	NM	$95,683	35
New York Institute of Technology	NY	$99,480	80
New York University	NY	$107,348	52
North Carolina A & T State University	NC	$98,061	42
North Carolina State University at Raleigh	NC	$102,178	165
North Dakota State University-Main Campus	ND	$94,510	61
Northeastern University	MA	$118,150	74
Northern Arizona University	AZ	$95,388	51
Northern Illinois University	IL	$93,962	85
Oakland University	MI	$99,967	105
Ohio State University-Main Campus	OH	$99,400	189
Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus (reported together with 5 other campuses under one federal school ID)	OH	$94,673	39
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	OK	$96,447	53
Old Dominion University	VA	$96,427	54
Oregon Institute of Technology	OR	$101,534	51
Oregon State University	OR	$105,359	125
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus (reported together with 3 other campuses under one federal school ID)	PA	$93,277	371
Portland State University	OR	$101,905	64
Purdue University Northwest	IN	$96,206	41
Purdue University-Main Campus	IN	$105,396	98
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	NY	$104,596	70
Rochester Institute of Technology	NY	$105,068	137
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology	IN	$96,448	44
Rowan University	NJ	$104,215	73
Rutgers University-New Brunswick	NJ	$108,296	230
San Diego State University	CA	$106,416	119
San Francisco State University	CA	$112,454	50
Seattle University	WA	$111,410	38
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology	SD	$94,201	33
Southern California Institute of Technology	CA	$84,440	93
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville	IL	$99,325	48
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale	IL	$83,853	41
Stevens Institute of Technology	NJ	$112,047	45
Stony Brook University	NY	$98,573	60
Temple University	PA	$97,839	93
Tennessee Technological University	TN	$94,179	63
Texas A&M University-College Station	TX	$103,789	182
Texas State University	TX	$94,780	126
Texas Tech University	TX	$107,110	72
The University of Alabama	AL	$98,943	66
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga	TN	$86,537	43
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	TN	$93,642	64
The University of Texas at Arlington	TX	$99,993	71
The University of Texas at Austin	TX	$146,003	261
The University of Texas at Dallas	TX	$104,448	108
The University of Texas at El Paso	TX	$94,122	96
The University of Texas at San Antonio	TX	$90,846	113
The University of Texas at Tyler	TX	$95,295	44
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley	TX	$85,971	74
University at Buffalo	NY	$95,209	99
University of Akron Main Campus	OH	$97,875	63
University of Alabama at Birmingham	AL	$90,089	51
University of Alabama in Huntsville	AL	$100,296	64
University of Arizona	AZ	$105,839	94
University of Arkansas	AR	$97,516	52
University of California-Berkeley	CA	$200,543	188
University of California-Irvine	CA	$106,871	100
University of California-Los Angeles	CA	$126,209	90
University of California-Riverside	CA	$102,630	78
University of California-San Diego	CA	$118,150	186
University of California-Santa Barbara	CA	$117,215	54
University of California-Santa Cruz	CA	$118,290	56
University of Central Florida	FL	$99,442	86
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus	OH	$98,364	96
University of Colorado Colorado Springs	CO	$113,627	44
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus	CO	$110,754	44
University of Connecticut	CT	$94,722	68
University of Dayton	OH	$95,595	33
University of Delaware	DE	$97,567	64
University of Florida	FL	$107,543	128
University of Georgia	GA	$98,280	43
University of Hawaii at Manoa	HI	$88,869	71
University of Houston	TX	$107,399	75
University of Idaho	ID	$94,484	38
University of Illinois Chicago	IL	$92,002	133
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	IL	$111,783	135
University of Iowa	IA	$97,208	52
University of Kentucky	KY	$96,913	68
University of Louisiana at Lafayette	LA	$84,883	37
University of Louisville	KY	$93,968	65
University of Maine	ME	$100,593	30
University of Maryland-College Park	MD	$107,834	103
University of Massachusetts-Amherst	MA	$101,091	41
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth	MA	$94,683	45
University of Massachusetts-Lowell	MA	$101,054	144
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	MI	$117,610	89
University of Michigan-Dearborn	MI	$105,446	100
University of Minnesota-Duluth	MN	$88,305	70
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	MN	$97,575	93
University of Missouri-Columbia	MO	$105,034	46
University of Missouri-Kansas City	MO	$91,326	65
University of Missouri-St Louis	MO	$96,083	30
University of Nebraska-Lincoln	NE	$100,972	32
University of Nevada-Las Vegas	NV	$100,765	38
University of Nevada-Reno	NV	$96,291	43
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus	NH	$104,067	38
University of New Orleans	LA	$95,630	40
University of North Carolina at Charlotte	NC	$93,953	59
University of North Dakota	ND	$106,162	48
University of North Florida	FL	$90,944	34
University of North Texas	TX	$95,294	60
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus	OK	$91,833	60
University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown (reported together with 1 other campus under one federal school ID)	PA	$102,572	71
University of Portland	OR	$105,859	33
University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez	PR	$91,631	154
University of Rhode Island	RI	$106,153	32
University of Rochester	NY	$105,183	48
University of South Alabama	AL	$100,166	49
University of South Carolina-Columbia	SC	$100,042	48
University of South Florida	FL	$102,275	91
University of Southern California	CA	$131,532	49
University of Toledo	OH	$95,846	35
University of Utah	UT	$91,361	45
University of Washington-Bothell Campus (reported together with 2 other campuses under one federal school ID)	WA	$116,010	169
University of West Florida	FL	$91,813	46
University of Wisconsin-Madison	WI	$95,059	74
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	WI	$91,955	69
University of Wisconsin-Platteville	WI	$92,443	66
Utah State University	UT	$94,576	41
Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	$107,487	47
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	VA	$104,839	122
Washington State University	WA	$104,354	162
Wayne State University	MI	$100,944	103
Weber State University	UT	$98,042	32
Wentworth Institute of Technology	MA	$96,673	50
West Virginia University (reported together with 1 other campus under one federal school ID)	WV	$99,542	58
Western Michigan University	MI	$95,469	55
Wichita State University	KS	$94,738	38
Worcester Polytechnic Institute	MA	$109,386	98
Wright State University-Main Campus	OH	$89,391	50
Youngstown State University	OH	$90,539	39

See every school that awarded bachelor's degrees in Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering in 2023-24, including schools that do not report earnings, with the number of degrees awarded (IPEDS Completions).

Occupations O*NET associates with this field

Occupations that U.S. Department of Labor O*NET data links to Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering programs, with each occupation's national median pay, projected job growth and yearly openings. They are listed in the order O*NET links them to this field; click a column heading to sort. This is a classification crosswalk, not evidence that graduates enter these jobs, and many of these occupations require more education, a license or experience beyond this credential. The figures describe the occupation, not the graduates of this major.

Career	Median pay, 2025	Projected growth, 2025–2035	Openings per year
Architectural and Engineering Managers	$171,270	+5.5%	14,900
Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers	$171,270	+5.5%	14,900
Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary	$109,270	+7.8%	3,900
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer	$130,220	+3.7%	4,900
Radio Frequency Identification Device Specialists	$130,220	+3.7%	4,900
Electrical Engineers	$120,630	+9.9%	11,400
Engineers, All Other	$122,930	+3.7%	8,800
Energy Engineers, Except Wind and Solar	$122,930	+3.7%	8,800
Mechatronics Engineers	$122,930	+3.7%	8,800
Microsystems Engineers	$122,930	+3.7%	8,800

Frequently asked questions

Does an Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering degree pay off?

Graduates with a bachelor's degree in Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering earn a median of $100,647 four years after graduating, and typically owe about $25,000 in federal loans. Earnings four years out are early-career pay, and they vary widely by school, job and place. Compare the pay with the cost of your own school on its graduate earnings page.

How much do college graduates earn overall?

See earnings by education level and by state.

Do Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering graduates work in their field?

The National Survey of College Graduates (2023) asked employed graduates whose highest degree is a bachelor's in electrical and computer engineering how closely their job relates to their degree. About 64% said closely related, 29% somewhat related and 8% not related (roughly 953 thousand graduates). This is a broad group of fields, not only Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering, and a job outside the field is not a bad outcome by itself.

Closely relatedSomewhat relatedNot related

Source: U.S. National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Survey of College Graduates, 2023 (Table 1-3, bachelor's level, all occupations). Survey estimates, rounded by NSF. MajorPays selected and reorganized these figures; NSF has not approved or endorsed them.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data (June 2026 release), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution; careers from O*NET 31.0 by the U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Career pay, growth and openings: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) and Employment Projections (2025-2035). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; neither agency has approved or endorsed them. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. MajorPays has modified all or some of the O*NET information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Earnings are for graduates who received federal financial aid and were working and not enrolled four years after finishing (graduates of academic years 2014-15 and 2015-16, in 2021 dollars; the debt figures are for graduates of 2018-19 and 2019-20); the data says nothing about how much a school added to its graduates' earnings.