Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians at Eastern Nazarene College

A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.40 positions this program in potentially workable territory for technical degree outcomes. Based on national benchmarks for electrical engineering technology bachelor's programs, graduates typically earn around $67,000 in their first year, while debt loads at similar private institutions average $27,000. This suggests students could theoretically pay off their loans within a reasonable timeframe if earnings projections hold—though it's worth noting that comparable programs in Massachusetts show slightly lower first-year earnings of about $63,000, which would make the debt burden somewhat heavier.

The challenge here is uncertainty. Eastern Nazarene's electrical engineering technology program is small enough that the Department of Education can't publish actual graduate outcomes, so we're relying entirely on what peer programs achieve elsewhere. Wentworth Institute of Technology, the only Massachusetts program with reported data, shows that $63,000 first-year figure—about $4,000 below the national benchmark. Whether Eastern Nazarene's graduates match national patterns or follow the Massachusetts trend makes a meaningful difference in how quickly that $27,000 debt becomes manageable.

For parents, the question becomes whether you're comfortable betting on national averages when local data suggests more modest outcomes. If your student can graduate with debt close to or below that $27,000 estimate, the numbers work—assuming they actually enter the field and secure typical engineering technology positions.