ROI Major

Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies at Pennsylvania State University (The) - Hazleton

PA · Associate's Degree · CIP 15.03

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies degree from Pennsylvania State University (The) - Hazleton earn a median salary of $95,349 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in PA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $97,196. The degree typically pays for itself in 3.6 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$70,012

Typical Career

$95,349

Top Performers

$113,650

Estimated break-even: 3.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$636

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $7,946. Most students can comfortably afford about a $636 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.5x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.2x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Pennsylvania buys what costs $0.98 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Manufacturing, Administrative & Support Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 43.9%
Manufacturing 12.3%
Administrative & Support Services 7.2%

Institution-wide industry mix for graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$97,196

Nominal: $95,349 in Pennsylvania (COL 98.1% of national avg) · 1.9% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

3.6 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $37,592 $76,015 $97,992
5 Years After Graduation $70,012 $95,349 $113,650
10 Years After Graduation $48,030 $72,585 $104,398

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $95,349 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in PA, which has a cost-of-living index of 98.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $95,349 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9810) = $97,196 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies program at Pennsylvania State University (Hazleton) experience a notable earnings trajectory. One year post-graduation, median earnings stand at $76,015, increasing to $95,349 after five years. However, a decline is observed at the ten-year mark, with median earnings dropping to $72,585. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary reflects a national equivalent of $97,195.72, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive edge in the job market despite the ten-year earnings dip.

The program's graduates predominantly enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, which accounts for 43.9% of employment, followed by another 17.5% in the same sector and 12.3% in Manufacturing. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 3.6 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for this degree appears favorable. The combination of strong initial earnings and a solid industry presence suggests that pursuing this program can be a sound financial decision for prospective students.

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See how the Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies degree at Pennsylvania State University (The) - Hazleton stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.