Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering at Wilkes University

Wilkes University's environmental engineering program sits in an interesting middle ground: below the national median for starting salary, but tracking close to Pennsylvania's typical outcomes—and that state context matters. At $60,098 in first-year earnings versus PA's $62,405 median, graduates start within striking distance of their in-state peers, even if they trail the national benchmark by about $4,600. The 8% earnings growth to $64,662 by year four suggests reasonable career progression, though this remains firmly middle-of-the-pack territory.

The standout feature here is debt management. At $27,000, graduates carry roughly the national average but stay well below Pennsylvania's $28,992 median. More importantly, the 0.45 debt-to-earnings ratio means borrowers face a manageable repayment burden—they're borrowing less than half their first-year salary. For environmental engineering, where earnings don't skyrocket like software development, keeping debt low matters enormously for quality of life after graduation.

The critical caveat: this data reflects fewer than 30 graduates, so individual outcomes could vary significantly from these medians. If your child is debt-sensitive and interested in environmental work, this program delivers reasonable financial outcomes for Pennsylvania without the premium debt load of some competitors. Just don't expect the higher earnings ceiling seen at schools like Drexel—you're trading modest starting pay for lighter debt.