Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians at University of Arkansas at Little Rock

A first-year salary around $48,000 against estimated debt of $15,400 creates a manageable 0.32 debt-to-earnings ratio—numbers drawn from national peers since this program's graduate cohort is too small for the Department of Education to publish outcomes directly. For technical fields like mechanical engineering technology, these figures suggest reasonable financial viability, with debt representing less than four months of gross income.

The challenge here is that Arkansas has only one associate's degree program in this field tracked by federal data, leaving little local context for comparison. Nationally, mechanical engineering technology programs cluster around these same benchmarks, with top performers reaching nearly $55,000 in first-year earnings. The technical skills emphasized in these programs—CAD proficiency, manufacturing processes, quality control—tend to translate directly to entry-level positions in manufacturing and design support roles.

For parents, the key question is whether these estimated outcomes reflect what UALR's specific program delivers. With 41% of students receiving Pell grants, the school serves many working-class families for whom manageable debt matters enormously. The numbers suggest solid value if the actual program matches peer performance, but you're making this decision with borrowed data. Request placement rates and employer partnerships directly from the department—those concrete details matter more than estimated medians when you're the one writing the check.