Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at Wichita State University

Wichita State's aerospace engineering program sits in an awkward position—significantly below national averages but not dramatically cheaper. Graduates earn $61,526 in their first year, roughly $11,000 less than the national median for aerospace engineers and about $10,000 behind University of Kansas. While the 40th percentile ranking within Kansas sounds middling, remember there are only two aerospace programs in the state, making this effectively the lower-performing option.

The debt load of $22,250 offers modest relief compared to national figures, resulting in a manageable 0.36 debt-to-earnings ratio. Graduates do see healthy earnings growth to $76,867 by year four, which nearly catches them up to where peers at other programs started. However, aerospace engineering typically commands strong starting salaries—that's part of the appeal—and beginning substantially below industry norms means playing catch-up throughout your early career.

For Kansas families seeking an accessible aerospace program (95% admission rate), this delivers reasonable outcomes without crushing debt. But if your child has the credentials for University of Kansas or out-of-state alternatives, the $10,000+ earnings gap from day one represents real money that compounds over a career. This works best for students who need the open admission policy or are committed to staying in Wichita, where the aviation industry presence may create local networking advantages the data doesn't fully capture.