Bachelor's-3% vs national median1,076 grads tracked
Mechanical Engineering at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Ranked 72nd of 125 bachelor's programs in Mechanical Engineering by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$76,053
middle 50%: $60,717 – $87,571
Median · 5 years out
$93,807
middle 50%: $79,930 – $114,085
Median · 10 years out
$117,819
middle 50%: $95,845 – $148,888
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Mechanical Engineering (bachelor's) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Mechanical Engineering graduates secure a median first-year salary of $76k. Ten-year earnings climb significantly to $118k.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.
Will the degree pay for itself?
Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.
Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).
Paid off in
4.2 yrs
≈ $4,458 total interest
Same major at other universities
West Virginia University - Institute of Technology
$94,789 · 5 yrs out
University of New Haven
$94,584 · 5 yrs out
North Carolina State University
$94,517 · 5 yrs out
University of Wyoming
$94,305 · 5 yrs out
University of Alabama at Birmingham
$94,107 · 5 yrs out
University of Missouri - Columbia
$94,029 · 5 yrs out
Utah State University
$93,917 · 5 yrs out
Portland State University
$93,741 · 5 yrs out
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi
$93,703 · 5 yrs out
University of Minnesota Duluth
$93,634 · 5 yrs out
George Mason University
$93,589 · 5 yrs out
Binghamton University
$93,437 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians (Master's)
$116,180 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Master's)
$112,340 · 5 yrs out
Metallurgical Engineering (Bachelor's)
$108,882 · 5 yrs out
Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor's)
$108,803 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Doctorate)
$104,398 · 5 yrs out
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's)
$101,236 · 5 yrs out
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's)
$101,165 · 5 yrs out
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)
$99,134 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Bachelor's)
$98,571 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)
$98,571 · 5 yrs out
Industrial Engineering (Certificate)
$97,802 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Certificate)
$97,530 · 5 yrs out
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