2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering Technology (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value ME Tech Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Mechanical Engineering Technology is the 126th most popular major in the country with 6,707 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, mechanical engineering technology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $52,659 and had an average of $22,928 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 384 mechanical engineering technology graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,888 and $22,941 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 48 mechanical engineering technology graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,605 and $16,886 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value ME Tech Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in mechanical engineering technology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality mechanical engineering technology programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the mechanical engineering technology program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value ME Tech Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value ME Tech Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region associate degree me tech students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 4 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering Technology (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region

#1

Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology

Okmulgee, Oklahoma

#1 in overall quality

$8,415 Average Net Price

$43,884 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value ME Tech Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology is a public institution located in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at OSU Institute of Technology, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Technology Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $8,415 for southwest region associate degree me tech students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering Technology at OSU Institute of Technology

#2

Oklahoma City Community College

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

#3 in overall quality

$8,503 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Oklahoma City Community College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value ME Tech Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, this fairly large public school awarded 11 degrees to qualified associates’s ME tech students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region associate degree me tech students whose families make $48-$75k list, OCCC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Technology Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Oklahoma City Community College is $8,503 for Southwest Region Associate Degree ME Tech students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full OCCC Mechanical Engineering Technology Report

#3

Tulsa Community College

Tulsa, Oklahoma

#2 in overall quality

$7,730 Average Net Price

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value ME Tech Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Tulsa Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and it awarded 7 associates’s ME tech degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region associate degree me tech students whose families make $48-$75k list, Tulsa Community College has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Technology Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $7,730 for southwest region associate degree me tech students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Tulsa Community College.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering Technology at Tulsa Community College

#4

New Mexico State University - Dona Ana

Las Cruces, New Mexico

#4 in overall quality

$8,013 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend New Mexico State University - Dona Ana. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value ME Tech Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k. NMSU Dona Ana is a public institution located in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 4 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NMSU Dona Ana, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Technology Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for New Mexico State University - Dona Ana is $8,013 for Southwest Region Associate Degree ME Tech students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering Technology at New Mexico State University - Dona Ana

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering Technology (Income $48-$75k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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