Materials Engineering Programs in the United States (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in the United States
This page ranks the 35 Materials Engineering programs in the United States by median earnings of Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing. Purdue University-Main Campus leads the list with median earnings of $107,557 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the figure ranges from $107,557 to $58,221, with a median of $89,968. For 5 of the 35 programs the earnings figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
Public institutions account for 28 of the 35 programs, or 80% of the list. University of Florida posts the lowest average net price on the page at $6,541.
University of California-Irvine ranks 12th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN | $107,557 | $14,600 | $5,098 | 49.9% |
| Purdue University-Main Campus reports median earnings of $107,557 for its Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing, with 74 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 2 | University of California-Irvine · Irvine, CA | $106,547 | $14,251 | $8,123 | 28.6% |
| University of California-Irvine ranks 2nd on this list and holds an Azimuth composite rank of 12th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 3 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $100,599 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo admits 31% of applicants and its Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing earn a median of $100,599. | |||||
| 4 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI | $98,879 | $13,138 | $1,043 | 15.6% |
| An average net price of $1,043 for families earning under $30,000 is listed by University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. | |||||
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL | $97,924 | $14,355 | $2,038 | 42.4% |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign shows median federal debt of $17,350 among Materials Engineering completers who borrowed, alongside median earnings of $97,924 four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | Lehigh University · Bethlehem, PA | $97,904 | $36,931 | $16,917 | 25.9% |
| Lehigh University, a private nonprofit university in Bethlehem, reports median earnings of $97,904 for its Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | University of Maryland-College Park · College Park, MD | $97,714 | $15,678 | $2,962 | 44.8% |
| University of Maryland-College Park reports median earnings of $97,714 four years after completing, and graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $19,000 in federal loans. | |||||
| 8 | Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI | $95,761 | $19,680 | $7,068 | 84.8% |
| Michigan State University posts an admission rate of 85% and its Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing earn a median of $95,761. | |||||
| 9 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus · Seattle, WA | $95,314 | $14,091 | $6,384 | 39.2% |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus carries an average net price of $14,091 and admits 39% of applicants. | |||||
| 10 | Drexel University · Philadelphia, PA | $94,694 | $38,509 | $28,055 | 79.4% |
| Drexel University shows median federal debt of $31,000 among Materials Engineering completers who borrowed, with median earnings of $94,694 four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | University of Connecticut · Storrs, CT | $93,464 | $25,097 | $15,193 | 52.4% |
| University of Connecticut ranks 11th on this list and holds an Azimuth composite rank of 105th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 12 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus · Atlanta, GA | $92,260 | $12,116 | $7,666 | 14.1% |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus admits 14% of applicants and reports median earnings of $92,260 for its Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 13 | Michigan Technological University · Houghton, MI | $92,070 | $14,182 | $2,045 | 92.4% |
| Michigan Technological University reports median earnings of $92,070 for its Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing, with 20 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 14 | Winona State University · Winona, MN | $91,528 | $17,503 | $10,224 | 75.5% |
| Winona State University admits 75% of applicants and its Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing earned a median of $91,528. | |||||
| 15 | University of Wisconsin-Madison · Madison, WI | $91,265 | $17,354 | $4,200 | 45.2% |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison ranks 82nd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and shows median earnings of $91,265 for its Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 16 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University · Blacksburg, VA | $90,828 | $24,953 | $11,689 | 54.8% |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University carries an average net price of $24,953 and a median federal debt of $27,000 among Materials Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 17 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $89,983 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| University of California-Davis reports median earnings of $89,983 for its Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an admission rate of 42%. | |||||
| 18 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh · Raleigh, NC | $89,968 | $17,303 | $6,382 | 41.7% |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh ranks 18th on this list and posts an average net price of $6,382 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 19 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion · Tempe, AZ | $89,913 | $14,967 | $9,070 | 89.9% |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion shows median earnings of $89,913 for its Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing and a median federal debt of $23,557 among Materials Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 20 | University of Florida · Gainesville, FL | $87,779 | $6,541 | $1,982 | 24.2% |
| University of Florida carries an average net price of $6,541 and a school-wide median of $15,000 in federal loans across all of its borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 21 | Washington State University · Pullman, WA | $86,145 | $14,971 | $7,074 | 86.6% |
| Washington State University ranks 21st on this list with median earnings of $86,145 for its Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 22 | Ohio State University-Main Campus · Columbus, OH | $86,084 | $17,339 | $4,885 | 60.6% |
| Ohio State University-Main Campus admits 61% of applicants and its Materials Engineering completers who borrowed left with a median federal debt of $19,500. | |||||
| 23 | Clemson University · Clemson, SC | $85,883 | $22,253 | $13,607 | 38.3% |
| Clemson University reports median earnings of $85,883 for its Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $13,607 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 24 | University of Kentucky · Lexington, KY | $84,796 | $18,851 | $12,182 | 92.9% |
| University of Kentucky ranks 220th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and carries a school-wide median federal debt of $22,500 across all of its borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 25 | University of Alabama at Birmingham · Birmingham, AL | $83,985 | $18,749 | $16,172 | 88.2% |
| With an average net price of $18,749, University of Alabama at Birmingham reports median earnings of $83,985 for its Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Materials Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the United States appear. The figure captures federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled. For 5 of the 35 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The spread from Purdue University-Main Campus to the bottom of the list is $49,336, with only $1,010 separating Purdue University-Main Campus and University of California-Irvine.
Job market context in the United States
Graduates of Materials Engineering programs in the United States enter occupations such as Cost Estimators, Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary, and related technical roles. The median annual wage across those occupations is $84,824; a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $64,739. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 0.4% higher, with about 2,313 openings a year for every hundred graduates, more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, which is a different measure from the occupational wage figures described here.
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- Best Engineering Colleges in the United States
- Engineering Colleges for Social Mobility