Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University-Kingsville

Texas A&M-Kingsville's civil engineering graduates start strong at $66,429, but their earnings actually decline to $61,711 by year four—a troubling pattern when most engineering careers gain momentum after the first few years. While you might expect a regional campus to cost less, the $24,625 debt load is virtually identical to the national median, making this a less attractive financial package than the numbers first suggest. Among Texas civil engineering programs, this ranks at the 40th percentile, meaning six out of ten Texas schools deliver better outcomes.

The comparison to flagship programs is stark: graduates from UT Austin and Texas A&M-College Station earn $13,000-$14,000 more annually in their early careers. Even accounting for the institution's mission serving first-generation college students (55% receive Pell grants), the combination of middle-of-the-road debt with below-median earnings creates a weaker value proposition than you'd hope for from an engineering degree. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.37 is manageable but unremarkable.

If your student is committed to staying in South Texas for personal or financial reasons, this program gets them into the engineering workforce. But if they can manage the logistics of attending a higher-ranked Texas public university—where in-state tuition keeps costs similar—they'd likely start their career with significantly better earning potential and more upward trajectory.