Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at Washburn University

Washburn's automotive program gets students into the workforce quickly with minimal debt—just $7,000, well below the $11,000 national median—but the earnings picture tells a more nuanced story. At $35,875 in the first year, graduates land right at the national average, though this places them below the Kansas median of $36,414. More notably, they're earning substantially less than peers at Wichita State's applied sciences campus, who make $47,000 annually doing similar work.

The modest 4% earnings bump over four years suggests this certificate opens doors to stable employment rather than high-growth career paths. That's not necessarily a dealbreaker—the 0.20 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates could theoretically pay off their loans in under three months of earnings—but it does raise questions about long-term earning potential in a field where some Kansas programs clearly achieve better outcomes.

For families prioritizing quick entry into a skilled trade with manageable debt, this program delivers on affordability. However, if your student is committed to automotive work and willing to explore other options, the $11,000 earnings gap compared to Wichita State's program represents roughly $44,000 in additional lifetime earnings over just four years—enough to justify investigating what differentiates the higher-performing programs.