Master's-2% vs national median4,785 grads tracked
Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
Ranked 47th of 126 master's programs in Engineering by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$89,753
middle 50%: $71,251 – $111,719
Median · 5 years out
$116,512
middle 50%: $92,625 – $148,048
Median · 10 years out
$145,873
middle 50%: $114,157 – $191,082
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Engineering (master's) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Engineering master's graduates at Virginia Tech earn a $90k median starting salary. Earnings reach $146k by year ten.
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
3.5 yrs
≈ $3,682 total interest
Same major at other universities
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
$117,432 · 5 yrs out
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
$117,305 · 5 yrs out
University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth
$117,172 · 5 yrs out
University of Massachusetts - Lowell
$117,110 · 5 yrs out
East Carolina University
$117,100 · 5 yrs out
University of Houston - Clear Lake
$116,662 · 5 yrs out
St. Cloud State University
$116,180 · 5 yrs out
North Carolina State University
$116,091 · 5 yrs out
Loyola University Chicago
$115,337 · 5 yrs out
University of Cincinnati
$115,266 · 5 yrs out
Marshall University
$115,260 · 5 yrs out
University of South Carolina - Columbia
$114,563 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Doctorate)
$160,426 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Doctorate)
$155,674 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Master's)
$148,193 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Doctorate)
$132,072 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Statistics (Doctorate)
$130,533 · 5 yrs out
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's)
$129,123 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Bachelor's)
$125,251 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)
$125,251 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Master's)
$121,443 · 5 yrs out
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)
$119,838 · 5 yrs out
Education (Doctorate)
$109,749 · 5 yrs out
Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields (Doctorate)
$108,375 · 5 yrs out
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