Biomedical/Medical Engineering at Montana State University

Montana State's biomedical engineering program appears positioned in the middle of the national pack, with peer programs nationwide suggesting first-year earnings around $64,660 and debt near $22,776. That 0.35 debt-to-earnings ratio—meaning graduates carry roughly four months of salary in debt—falls comfortably within manageable territory for an engineering degree. Nationally, biomedical engineering bachelor's programs cluster fairly tightly around these figures, with top-performing programs pushing first-year earnings to $71,000.

The challenge here is that Montana State is the only school in the state offering this particular degree, and the DOE suppresses both earnings and debt data when graduate cohorts are too small to publish reliably. That means we're relying entirely on what happens at similar engineering programs elsewhere rather than tracking Montana State's actual outcomes. For a parent evaluating a significant investment, that's meaningful uncertainty—especially since geographic context matters in engineering fields, and Montana's biomedical industry landscape differs considerably from states with major medical device hubs or research centers.

If your child is committed to biomedical engineering and wants to stay in-state, this appears to be your only bachelor's option in Montana. The estimated numbers suggest reasonable value, but before committing, verify where recent graduates actually land—particularly whether they're finding relevant positions in Montana or need to relocate to coastal markets where most biomedical opportunities concentrate.