Manufacturing Engineering at Bradley University

Bradley University's Manufacturing Engineering program lands right at Illinois's median for earnings, but that's not quite the whole story. With only two schools offering this degree in the state, the comparison is limited—and nationally, these graduates earn about $5,000 less than typical manufacturing engineering graduates. The program does manage to keep debt reasonable at $27,000, well below national averages, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.40 that should be manageable for most families.

The real limitation here is the sample size: fewer than 30 graduates means these numbers could shift significantly year to year. What we can say is that the $67,488 starting salary grows to nearly $74,000 by year four, showing steady progression. For a program at a school with a 77% admission rate, these outcomes are respectable, particularly given the manageable debt load.

If your child is choosing between Bradley and out-of-state manufacturing engineering programs with similar admission profiles, the debt advantage here matters. But if they're competitive for programs in the top national tier (where graduates earn closer to $76,000), the earnings gap might be worth addressing directly with Bradley's career services office to understand placement patterns and employer relationships.