Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering at University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus

University of Oklahoma's electrical engineering program produces starting salaries nearly $10,000 below the national median for this field—a significant gap that places graduates in just the 12th percentile nationally. While the $69,559 first-year earnings still represents solid income in absolute terms, it's concerning that OU trails both University of Tulsa and Oklahoma State by roughly $5,000 annually. Even within Oklahoma's relatively small engineering landscape, this program ranks at the 40th percentile, suggesting middle-of-the-pack performance where stronger results should be expected from the state's flagship university.

The debt load of $23,750 remains manageable with a 0.34 ratio to first-year earnings, and graduates do see meaningful salary growth to $84,455 by year four. However, that growth trajectory still leaves OU engineering alumni earning less than peers who started at competing state programs. For context, this is one of five electrical engineering programs in Oklahoma, and two in-state alternatives deliver noticeably better immediate returns.

If your student has admission offers from Oklahoma State or Tulsa, those programs appear to offer better value in this specific field. OU may make sense if it provides substantially better financial aid or if your student strongly prefers the Norman campus experience, but purely from an engineering ROI perspective, the numbers favor the alternatives.