Chemical Engineering at Kettering University

Kettering's chemical engineering program sits in an unusual spot: graduates carry notably less debt than peers—$29,000 versus a $27,786 state median—yet earn about $4,000 less than the typical Michigan chemical engineer at $71,411. Among the six Michigan schools offering this degree, Kettering ranks fifth for starting salaries, trailing Michigan Tech ($80,193) and U-M Ann Arbor ($79,551) by roughly $8,000-9,000 annually. That earnings gap matters when you consider most Michigan chemical engineers start around $75,000.

The debt picture offers real relief, though. At the 5th percentile nationally for debt levels, Kettering graduates avoid the heavy borrowing common at many engineering schools. The 0.41 debt-to-earnings ratio means students owe less than half their first-year salary—manageable by any standard. For context, that's $6,000 less debt than Michigan State grads take on, though MSU grads earn $7,600 more out of the gate.

One critical caveat: this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, so these numbers could shift significantly year to year. If your child thrives in Kettering's co-op-intensive model and values lower debt, this program works. But if maximizing starting salary matters more, the state's top three programs deliver $8,000-9,000 more annually—enough to offset higher debt within a couple years. The trade-off here is straightforward: accept a below-average Michigan starting salary in exchange for meaningfully lower loans.