Systems Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA · Master's Degree · about 178 graduates a year

$151,271
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$227,052
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$144,565
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#1 of 27
Rank by pay
#1 of 27
Rank, wage-adjusted
$44,052
Median federal debt

Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates in systems engineering earn 57% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 19% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Massachusetts Institute of Technology Compares for Systems Engineering

All 27 colleges reporting systems 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$227,052$199,943#1$151,271
2University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA$178,619$162,532#4$118,363
3Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA$168,407$174,335#2$118,944
4Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX$163,769$166,505#3$115,443
5Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD$154,775$135,833#15$135,107
6George Washington University Washington, DC$154,767$135,616#16$119,258
7University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA$152,854$139,188#13$115,773
8University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI$152,353$160,639#5$122,914
9Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne, FL$149,291$158,901#6$104,584
10Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO$145,788$156,315#7$111,229

Other Majors at Massachusetts Institute of Technology by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Business/Commerce$258,152$190,333#1 of 75
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods—$204,731—
Mechanical Engineering$200,732$155,889#1 of 83
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$199,245$149,936#3 of 62
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering$151,237—#2 of 25
Real Estate Development—$142,235—
City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning$100,130$81,382#3 of 36
Civil Engineering—$88,805—
Architectural Sciences and Technology$87,003$66,501#3 of 30

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Graduates earn a median $151,271 one year after graduating and $227,052 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Massachusetts Institute of Technology rank for systems engineering?

Among 27 colleges reporting earnings for systems engineering graduates, Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranks #1 by median pay four years after graduation, and #1 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is systems engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology worth it?

Its graduates earn 57% more than the national median for systems engineering ($144,565), and the median federal debt at graduation is $44,052.

← 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.