Engineering Science at Dartmouth College

Dartmouth's Engineering Science program launches graduates into $90,000 starting salaries—impressive by national standards (95th percentile), though the state comparison is misleading since Dartmouth is the only NH school offering this degree. The $17,000 median debt creates a comfortable 0.19 ratio to first-year earnings, meaning graduates could realistically pay off their loans in about three months of gross salary if they prioritized it.

The concerning signal here is the flatline in earnings growth: median salary increases by less than $1,000 over four years. This could reflect the small sample size distorting the picture, or it might indicate graduates moving into roles where early compensation peaks. For a highly selective engineering program (6% admission rate), you'd typically expect stronger mid-career momentum.

That sample size caveat matters significantly—with fewer than 30 graduates tracked, a few outliers or career choices could skew the entire dataset. The fundamentals look solid: elite engineering education, manageable debt, and strong starting pay. But the lack of earnings growth deserves a direct conversation with the school about typical career paths. If most graduates pursue PhD programs or shift into entrepreneurship (common at Dartmouth), that would explain the pattern. If not, parents should understand they're paying Ivy League tuition for what appears to be primarily front-loaded earning power.