Systems Engineering at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

University Park, PA · Master's Degree

$124,293
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$145,507
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$144,565
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#12 of 27
Rank by pay
#9 of 27
Rank, wage-adjusted
$32,822
Median federal debt

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus graduates in systems engineering earn 1% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 23% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus 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
11Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Great Valley Malvern, PA$145,507$147,982#8$124,293
12Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA$145,507$147,982#9$124,293
13Pennsylvania State University-World Campus University Park, PA$145,507$147,982#10$124,293
14The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX$144,307$146,718#11$109,325
15Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA$143,717$126,558#20$127,141

Other Majors at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer and Information Sciences$166,387$116,067#15 of 78
Information Science/Studies$158,815$128,867#4 of 71
Physics$150,865$103,672#2 of 9
Computer Engineering$140,393$118,192#11 of 23
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$139,676$110,689#24 of 92
Computational Science$137,367$108,240#4 of 5
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions$129,975$118,475#86 of 216
Statistics$129,392$100,281#10 of 18
Business Administration, Management and Operations$127,665$106,923#126 of 861
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$117,728$99,406#274 of 432
Finance and Financial Management Services$114,251$90,819#31 of 69
Health and Medical Administrative Services$111,065$82,437#45 of 211
Accounting and Related Services$110,498$72,209#45 of 349
Medicine$108,997$95,680—
Engineering$107,278$86,913#11 of 16
Homeland Security$106,535$85,563#8 of 28
Human Resources Management and Services$103,541$82,757#32 of 159
Geography and Cartography$102,798$88,086#3 of 17
Mechanical Engineering—$102,645—
Psychology$99,841$71,252#1 of 14
Architectural Engineering$98,877$81,823—
Manufacturing Engineering—$93,432—
Public Health$90,383$61,758#47 of 201
Public Administration$87,710$69,773#47 of 243
Community Organization and Advocacy$84,981$72,426#2 of 10
International/Globalization Studies$81,832$48,275#6 of 11
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas$69,663$60,379#63 of 285
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services$68,105$61,685#101 of 243
Educational/Instructional Media Design—$65,835—
Educational Administration and Supervision$63,797$51,915#328 of 453

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus systems engineering graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $124,293 one year after graduating and $145,507 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus rank for systems engineering?

Among 27 colleges reporting earnings for systems engineering graduates, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus ranks #12 by median pay four years after graduation, and #9 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is systems engineering at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus worth it?

Its graduates earn 1% more than the national median for systems engineering ($144,565), and the median federal debt at graduation is $32,822.

← All data for Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · 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.