Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at Wichita State University-Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology

Wichita State's automotive technology program produces graduates earning $56,315 their first year—dramatically outperforming the national median of $42,896 and ranking in the 95th percentile nationally. That's impressive positioning for a two-year degree. However, the 60th percentile ranking within Kansas suggests this isn't necessarily the program itself excelling, but rather Wichita's stronger automotive job market lifting all boats. Still, those are solid wages for $14,000 in debt, creating a healthy debt-to-earnings ratio of just 0.25.

The caveat here matters: with fewer than 30 graduates in the dataset, one or two outlier salaries could be skewing these numbers higher. Automotive technician roles typically don't start at $56,000, which raises questions about whether these grads landed specialized positions, moved into shop management quickly, or if the data captures an unusually strong cohort. Kansas's automotive sector does pay reasonably well compared to many states, which helps explain why even mid-tier state programs show decent outcomes.

For parents willing to accept some data uncertainty, this looks like a reasonable investment—manageable debt and strong earning potential right out of the gate. Just recognize you're making this judgment on limited evidence, and outcomes could vary more than usual from this reported median.