Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies at Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Murfreesboro

Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Murfreesboro's equipment maintenance program stands out for delivering some of the strongest earnings outcomes in Tennessee—$57,632 in the first year puts graduates well above the state median of $47,432 and ranks this program in the 79th percentile nationally. While the debt figure of $8,796 is estimated from peer programs at similar Tennessee technical colleges (the school's small graduate cohorts prevent DOE from publishing actual debt data), that number would create a very manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of just 0.15 if it holds true here.

The comparison to other Tennessee programs is telling. Murfreesboro's graduates out-earn those from Chattanooga State, Dickson, and other technical colleges that report data—often by $3,000-$4,000 annually. Combined with debt estimates that run lower than Tennessee's $12,000 median for this field, the financial picture looks solid. The earnings plateau quickly (just 1% growth from year one to year four), but starting near $58,000 in a technical field means graduates reach their earning potential immediately rather than spending years climbing to it.

The caveat is that we're relying on estimated debt from comparable programs rather than this school's actual figures. If Murfreesboro's true debt burden runs significantly higher than $8,796, the calculation changes—though you'd need debt above $17,000 before the ratio even reaches the commonly cited 0.3 threshold for concern. For students interested in heavy equipment work, this program delivers strong immediate earnings with likely minimal debt.