ROI Major

Mechanical Engineering Technologies at Pennsylvania State University (The) - Hazleton

PA · Associate's Degree · CIP 15.08

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Mechanical Engineering Technologies degree from Pennsylvania State University (The) - Hazleton earn a median salary of $75,158 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in PA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $76,614. The degree typically pays for itself in 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

$61,969

Typical Career

$75,158

Top Performers

$96,105

Estimated break-even: 6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$501

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,263. Most students can comfortably afford about a $501 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.9x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.0x 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

$76,614

Nominal: $75,158 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).

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 $29,704 $47,802 $68,626
5 Years After Graduation $61,969 $75,158 $96,105
10 Years After Graduation $79,787 $97,592 $137,588

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 $75,158 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)
= $75,158 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9810) = $76,614 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Mechanical Engineering Technologies program at Pennsylvania State University (Hazleton) can expect a solid earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $47,802, which increases to $75,158 after five years and reaches $97,592 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns closely with the national equivalent at $76,613.66, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive financial standing in the job market, despite the cost of living in Pennsylvania being slightly lower than the national average.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 43.9% of employment, followed by another segment of Health Care & Social Assistance at 17.5%, and Manufacturing at 12.3%. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately six years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable. Graduates can anticipate a stable career with opportunities in growing sectors, particularly in health care, which suggests a robust job market for those entering this field.

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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.