Master's · earnings grade

Is a Computer Engineering degree worth it?

Graduates earn a median $94,408 two years after finishing, more than 94% of master's majors. Measured across 176 US programmes by the Department of Education — real graduate pay, not survey answers.

A

The verdict on the money

Yes, on the money — this is one of the best-paying majors at this level in the country.

Median earnings $94,408 2 years after finishing
Typical range $84,653–$104,192 middle half of US programmes
Over no degree +$54,888 vs $39,520 high-school median
Graduates a year 5,898 176 programmes

Where a Computer Engineering degree pays best US programmes ranked on their own graduates' median earnings two years out.

#University1 yr out2 yrs out3 yrs outGraduates/yr
1 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor cost & debt at this university → $123,561 $157,288 not published 132
2 Harvard University cost & debt at this university → $137,302 $137,605 not published 94
3 University of California-San Diego cost & debt at this university → $122,641 $127,993 $153,118 89
4 San Jose State University cost & debt at this university → $124,052 $125,015 $138,269 496
5 Drexel University cost & debt at this university → $96,204 $109,095 not published 44
6 Boston University cost & debt at this university → $92,383 $106,421 $115,901 2
7 Santa Clara University cost & debt at this university → $125,788 $104,192 $129,018 261
8 George Mason University cost & debt at this university → $112,424 $101,072 $115,693 66
9 Pennsylvania State University-World Campus $100,190 $97,959 $113,544 60
10 Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus cost & debt at this university → $100,190 $97,959 $113,544 —
11 Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Great Valley $100,190 $97,959 $113,544 4
12 The University of Texas at Dallas cost & debt at this university → $103,193 $94,408 $103,360 88

What this figure does and does not tell you

It is the median of what real graduates of this exact major earned, taken from tax records two years after they completed. It is not a starting salary, not an average of job adverts, and not a projection. The median master's major in this dataset reports $54,713, so Computer Engineering sits above the middle by $39,695.

Two years is early in a career. Fields with long training pipelines — medicine, law, research — look weaker at this point than they will at ten, while trades and applied technical fields peak sooner. Read a low figure in a long-pipeline subject as "slow start", not "bad degree".

There is no debt figure here on purpose. The Department of Education publishes earnings by field of study but not borrowing, so nobody can honestly tell you the debt of a specific major. Debt is published per institution — that is where our university cost pages carry it.

Computer Engineering at other levels

Bachelor's — $71,015 (A)

Scholarships for Computer Engineering students

Whatever the subject pays, the money you do not borrow is the money you keep.

Faculty of Science and Engineering Scholarships at University... Hubei Provincial Scholarship Programs in China, 2017-18 28 Research Scholarships at Polytechnic University of Turin in... Fully Funded International Fellowship at ADA University in Aze... Fully-Funded GHC International Scholarships in USA, 2019 Dora scholarship Estonia- Tallinn University of Technology 201...
See all Computer Engineering scholarships →

Study Computer Engineering Programmes listed on ScholarshipsAds.

Computer Engineering — Bilkent University Computer Engineering — Bilkent University Electrical and Computer Engineering — University of Toronto Electrical and Computer Engineering — University of Toronto Electrical and Computer Engineering — University of Toronto Engineering in Computer Engineering — Thompson Rivers University

Majors that pay more at this level Closest first — useful if you are still choosing.

Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services — $133,319

Funding the degree Lenders that fund US and international students — compare the rate before you sign.

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We may earn a commission if you take a loan through a provider here. It never changes the earnings figures on this page — those come from the US Department of Education.

Computer Engineering: the questions people ask

How much do Computer Engineering graduates earn?
The median master's graduate earns $94,408 two years after finishing, across 23 US programmes that publish the figure. One year out it is $96,204.
Is a Computer Engineering degree worth it?
Yes, on the money — this is one of the best-paying majors at this level in the country. The median graduate earns $54,888 a year more than a US worker whose highest qualification is a high-school diploma.
What is the salary range for Computer Engineering?
Half of US programmes report medians between $84,653 and $104,192. Where you study moves this figure more than most applicants expect.
How many people graduate in Computer Engineering each year?
About 5,898 students complete a master's in this field each year across 176 US programmes.
Does this include student debt?
No — and deliberately. The Department of Education publishes earnings by field of study but not debt, so any "debt by major" figure you see elsewhere is an estimate. Debt is published per institution, which is why our university pages carry it and this page does not.
All degree grades Highest paying majors Most popular majors University costs & payback

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings (median earnings of graduates who received federal financial aid, measured 1–3 years after completion). Figures are per major and credential level, pooled across US programmes. Information only, not financial advice.