Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering at Gonzaga University

Engineering degrees typically deliver strong returns, but when the numbers are estimates, you're placing faith in Gonzaga's ability to match what peer programs achieve. Based on national medians from similar environmental engineering programs, graduates might earn around $65,000 their first year while carrying $27,000 in debt—a manageable 0.42 ratio that suggests monthly payments of roughly $300 on a standard repayment plan. That's about 5-6% of gross monthly income, well within the recommended threshold for student debt.

The estimate here draws from fewer than 50 national programs and just five comparable private institutions for the debt figure, meaning there's meaningful uncertainty about what Gonzaga's specific outcomes look like. Environmental engineering sits at a crossroads of civil engineering, chemistry, and regulatory work—the actual career paths graduates take (consulting firms, government agencies, graduate school) will drive whether these projections hold. With only two schools offering this major in Washington, you're also looking at limited in-state alternatives if cost becomes a concern.

If your child is genuinely committed to environmental work and engineering rigor, the estimated numbers suggest reasonable financial footing. But given the small sample sizes behind these projections, you'd want confirmation from Gonzaga's career services about actual placement rates and starting roles before betting $100,000+ in total costs on these estimates holding true.