Agricultural Engineering at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

Agricultural engineering programs nationally produce starting salaries around $65,400, and Florida A&M's program—serving a predominantly Pell-eligible student body at a highly selective HBCU—appears positioned to deliver similar outcomes. With estimated debt of $23,000, graduates would face a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.35, meaning they'd owe roughly four months' salary. That's manageable debt for an engineering credential, though families should recognize these figures come from peer programs nationally rather than verified outcomes from FAMU itself.

The small graduate cohort that triggers data suppression here isn't inherently worrisome—specialized engineering programs often have modest class sizes—but it does mean you're investing based on broader trends rather than this program's proven track record. Agricultural engineering nationally sits in the sweet spot for technical degrees: solid earnings without the six-figure debt loads that plague some fields. The 21% admission rate suggests FAMU is academically rigorous, which matters for engineering programs where graduation rates significantly impact ROI.

For families willing to invest $23,000 in a specialized engineering field at an HBCU, the estimated financial picture looks reasonable—you're betting on a program that should mirror national norms for agricultural engineering. The key uncertainty is whether FAMU's specific outcomes match those peer benchmarks, which only future graduates can confirm.