Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering at University of Nebraska at Omaha

Starting salaries around $72,000 might sound solid for an engineering degree, but this program lags behind what electrical engineering graduates typically earn. Nationally, the median first-year salary for this field is $77,710, putting UNO's outcomes in just the 21st percentile. More telling for Nebraska families: even within the state's limited options (only two schools offer this program), UNO sits at the 40th percentile, trailing the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus by nearly $6,000 annually. The modest 2% earnings growth over four years suggests graduates aren't catching up to their peers over time.

The debt picture offers some relief—$26,042 is manageable with a 0.36 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning graduates could theoretically pay off loans in about four months of gross income. That's better than many programs, though it's still slightly above the state median for electrical engineering.

Here's the critical caveat: these figures come from fewer than 30 graduates, so they may not reliably predict your child's experience. For families committed to staying in Omaha, this program provides an accessible path to a stable income. But if your student can gain admission to UNL—or attend a higher-ranked program elsewhere—the earnings gap suggests that alternative would likely offer better return on investment, especially given UNO's 87% admission rate means many students would have options.