Engineering Technologies/Technicians at Berklee College of Music

Something unusual is happening with this program. Berklee—a prestigious music conservatory—offers an engineering technology degree that generates just $26,827 in first-year earnings, putting it in the bottom 5% of similar programs nationally. For context, the typical engineering technology graduate earns $66,626, nearly 2.5 times more. The debt load of $26,000 isn't outrageous, but when your first-year income barely covers it, you're starting with a significant financial handicap.

The Massachusetts comparison is misleading here—this appears to be the only engineering technology bachelor's program in the state, so the 60th percentile ranking simply reflects that limited pool. What matters is that this program dramatically underperforms the national norm, likely because Berklee's reputation and network center entirely on music and audio production, not engineering technology. Students would be paying for a specialized music school's prestige while pursuing a degree outside its core competency.

Unless this program has a specific niche focus (like music technology engineering) that aligns with Berklee's strengths and your child's career goals, they'd almost certainly be better served at a traditional engineering or technical college. The numbers suggest graduates aren't accessing the typical engineering technology career paths that justify this degree.