Best Engineering Technology Colleges for Social Mobility in Kentucky
Updated
Best Engineering Technology Colleges for Social Mobility in Kentucky lists 5 Kentucky institutions that offer Engineering Technology. Schools first had to sit at or above the 60th percentile on Azimuth's mobility pillar; those that qualified are ordered by the school's median earnings of all students ten years after entry, highest first, as set out on Azimuth's methodology page.
Northern Kentucky University ranks 1st on this list, with median earnings of $50,220 for its students ten years after entry. Across the listed schools, the median earnings figure ranges from $50,220 to $43,150, with a median of $44,737.
4 of the 5 schools are public and 1 is private. Berea College posts the lowest average net price on the page, at $6,106.
Eastern Kentucky University sits at the 82nd percentile on Azimuth's mobility index among the 1,467 public and private nonprofit four-year institutions Azimuth ranks nationally, the highest mobility percentile among the listed schools.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Median earnings, 10 years after entry | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Pell share | Mobility percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Kentucky University · Highland Heights, KY | $50,220 | $8,191 | $2,603 | 25.2% | 71st |
| Northern Kentucky University reports median earnings of $50,220 ten years after entry and sits at the 71st percentile on Azimuth's mobility index among the 1,467 public and private nonprofit four-year institutions Azimuth ranks nationally. | ||||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (31 graduates), Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians (10 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians ($88,492) | ||||||
| 2 | Eastern Kentucky University · Richmond, KY | $45,795 | $11,040 | $8,591 | 41.1% | 82nd |
| With a Pell share of 41%, Eastern Kentucky University ranks 2nd on this list and posts median earnings of $45,795 ten years after entry. | ||||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (120 graduates), Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians (15 graduates), Engineering-Related Fields (11 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians ($92,289) | ||||||
| 3 | Murray State University · Murray, KY | $44,737 | $9,096 | $6,242 | 33.3% | 74th |
| Murray State University carries an average net price of $9,096 and reaches the 74th percentile on Azimuth's mobility index among the 1,467 public and private nonprofit four-year institutions Azimuth ranks nationally. | ||||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (54 graduates), Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians (29 graduates), Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (14 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians ($87,573), Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians ($84,705), Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians ($58,862) | ||||||
| 4 | Western Kentucky University · Bowling Green, KY | $43,889 | $10,990 | $7,087 | 30.5% | 78th |
| Western Kentucky University reaches the 78th percentile on Azimuth's mobility index among the 1,467 public and private nonprofit four-year institutions Azimuth ranks nationally and shows median earnings of $43,889 ten years after entry. | ||||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (37 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians ($86,033) | ||||||
| 5 | Berea College · Berea, KY | $43,150 | $6,106 | $5,428 | 83.7% | 61st |
| A private nonprofit institution in Berea, Berea College enrolls a Pell share of 84% and lists an average net price of $6,106. | ||||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General (17 graduates) | ||||||
How this list is ordered
Schools first had to sit at or above the 60th percentile on Azimuth's mobility pillar; those that qualified are ordered by the school's median earnings of all students ten years after entry, highest first, as set out on Azimuth's methodology page. The ordering metric is the median earnings of all federally aided students at the institution, working and not enrolled, measured ten years after entry. The list does not measure earnings in any one major or teaching quality. Northern Kentucky University leads with $50,220, and the gap to second-ranked Eastern Kentucky University is $4,425.
Job market context in Kentucky
The occupations linked to Engineering Technology in Kentucky include roles such as Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers, Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, and Industrial Engineers. Across those occupations the median annual wage is $59,506, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $49,327. Projected annual openings total 7,390, or about 1,727 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 3.8% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings ten years after entry, not the occupational wage figures described here.
Related rankings
- Best Engineering Technology Colleges for Social Mobility
- Engineering Technology Colleges in California for Social Mobility
- Engineering Technology Colleges in Louisiana for Social Mobility
- Engineering Technology Colleges in Michigan for Social Mobility
- Engineering Technology Colleges in New York for Social Mobility