Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering at North Carolina State University at Raleigh

NC State's environmental engineering program delivers exactly what you'd expect from a solid state flagship: graduates earning $67,251 their first year while carrying manageable debt of $26,004. That 0.39 debt-to-earnings ratio means students borrow less than five months of salary—a reasonable investment by any measure.

The national comparison reveals this program's strength. It outperforms 75% of environmental engineering programs across the country, though with only three programs in North Carolina, state-level rankings are less meaningful. More importantly, graduates here earn slightly above the national median of $64,675 while keeping debt near typical levels. For a public university with a 40% admission rate, these outcomes are impressive—students get access to a strong program without needing elite credentials.

The math works straightforwardly: borrow $26,000 to access a field where you'll start near $70,000. Environmental engineering offers stability in a growing sector, and NC State positions graduates competitively from day one. The moderate sample size of program graduates shouldn't worry you—it simply reflects that this is a specialized degree, not a warning flag about the data's reliability.