Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering at University of Massachusetts-Amherst

UMass Amherst's electrical engineering program sits in an awkward middle ground within Massachusetts—it outperforms the national median by a slim margin but trails half the state's programs. At $96,212 four years out, graduates earn about $13,000 less annually than the Massachusetts median for this degree, landing at the 40th percentile statewide. This gap matters in a state where engineering talent commands premium wages: MIT grads earn $21,000 more than UMass grads just one year after graduation, and even mid-tier programs like Wentworth slightly edge out UMass's outcomes.

The financial fundamentals are solid—a 0.34 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates owe roughly four months' salary, well below concerning levels. Students here also carry less debt than 75% of engineering programs nationwide. The 21% earnings growth from year one to year four suggests graduates build valuable skills that translate to better opportunities over time.

For Massachusetts families paying in-state tuition (roughly $16,000 annually), this represents reasonable value despite the middling state ranking. Out-of-state students paying $38,000 per year should seriously weigh whether the outcomes justify the premium when stronger programs like WPI or Northeastern deliver meaningfully higher earnings for similar or lower debt loads.