Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA · Bachelor's Degree · about 141 graduates a year

$83,957
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$131,967
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$92,135
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#1 of 318
Rank by pay
#3 of 318
Rank, wage-adjusted
$11,507
Median federal debt

Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates in mechanical engineering earn 43% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 9% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Massachusetts Institute of Technology Compares for Mechanical Engineering

All 318 colleges reporting mechanical engineering earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA$131,967$116,211#3$83,957
2California State University Maritime Academy Vallejo, CA$126,395$115,011#5$92,315
3Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA$122,111$111,113#10$81,865
4Duke University Durham, NC$120,991$129,841#1$89,938
5University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA$119,371$108,620#16$88,497
6Stanford University Stanford, CA$117,072$106,528#28—
7Princeton University Princeton, NJ$115,927$101,747#53$85,328
8University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA$114,492$116,439#2$66,876
9Cornell University Ithaca, NY$112,212$106,803#27$85,440
10Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY$111,491$106,116#32$72,036

Other Mechanical Engineering Credentials at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Credential1 yr after4 yrs afterMedian debt
Master's Degree$155,889$200,732$45,290

Other Majors at Massachusetts Institute of Technology by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer Science$225,141$154,492#2 of 349
Mathematics$174,951$109,288#2 of 309
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$161,118$117,345#3 of 258
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities$147,998$103,135#1 of 476
Physics$131,025$54,773#1 of 107
Mathematics and Computer Science—$126,153—
Chemical Engineering$122,093$80,139#1 of 158
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering$114,620—#5 of 59
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$111,738$70,696#8 of 118
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods—$99,843—
Materials Engineering—$65,919—
Neurobiology and Neurosciences—$48,125—

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Massachusetts Institute of Technology mechanical engineering graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $83,957 one year after graduating and $131,967 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Massachusetts Institute of Technology rank for mechanical engineering?

Among 318 colleges reporting earnings for mechanical engineering graduates, Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranks #1 by median pay four years after graduation, and #3 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is mechanical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology worth it?

Its graduates earn 43% more than the national median for mechanical engineering ($92,135), and the median federal debt at graduation is $11,507.

← All data for Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.