Mechanical Engineering at University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth

UMass Dartmouth's mechanical engineering program offers something increasingly rare: strong earnings at just above the national median with notably low debt burden. At $27,000, graduates carry the same debt as the state median but substantially less than most engineering programs nationally—ranking in the 5th percentile for debt means 95% of comparable programs saddle students with more loans. For a family watching college costs spiral, this is meaningful.

The caveat? Within Massachusetts, this program lands at the 40th percentile for earnings. The gap matters: graduates here start about $6,000 below the state median of $77,828, and roughly $12,000 behind MIT or Northeastern. However, with the school's 92% admission rate and accessible entry requirements, UMass Dartmouth serves a different population than these elite competitors. The $71,559 starting salary still clears the national mechanical engineering median, and the 13% earnings growth to year four suggests solid career progression.

For families prioritizing engineering credentials without overwhelming debt, this program delivers. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.38 is manageable, and mechanical engineering remains one of the most stable bachelor's degrees for employment. Your child won't command top-tier Boston engineering salaries immediately, but they'll enter the workforce with genuine earning power and financial flexibility that many engineering graduates—even those at pricier programs—lack.