Materials Engineering at Lehigh University

Lehigh's Materials Engineering program places its graduates near the national median ($74,971 vs. $74,110), but here's the surprise: within Pennsylvania, this sits below the state median of $76,797—40th percentile among the state's four programs. That matters because many families choose Lehigh specifically for in-state opportunities, yet nearby Drexel's materials engineering graduates start nearly $4,000 higher.

The debt picture offers some relief. At $26,324, graduates carry less than both the national and Pennsylvania medians, creating a manageable 0.35 debt-to-earnings ratio. For a selective private university (29% admission rate), these debt levels are reasonable, though not exceptional. The program avoids the heavy borrowing that often comes with private school tuition.

The catch: these numbers come from a very small cohort (under 30 graduates), which means one or two outliers could significantly skew the data. Materials engineering is already a niche field with limited program availability—just 63 schools nationally, four in Pennsylvania. If your child is certain about this specialty and Lehigh offers the right research focus or industry connections, the financial picture is workable. But if choosing purely on earnings potential within Pennsylvania, this isn't the state's strongest option in the field.