2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 11,925 people earned their degree in general engineering, making the major the 78th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, general engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $66,152 and had an average of $20,077 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 559 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $61,000 and $14,944 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 63 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,438 and $39,783 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 5 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region

#1

University of Missouri - Columbia

Columbia, Missouri

#4 in overall quality

$27,193 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Missouri - Columbia. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Missouri - Columbia is a public institution located in Columbia, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mizzou, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best General Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Missouri - Columbia are $27,193, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Missouri - Columbia General Engineering Report

#2

University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Lincoln, Nebraska

#1 in overall quality

$19,513 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Nebraska - Lincoln is a large school located in Lincoln, Nebraska that handed out 22 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UNL also took the #1 spot in our “Best General Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNL are $19,513.

Read full report on General Engineering at University of Nebraska - Lincoln

#3

Minnesota State University - Mankato

Mankato, Minnesota

#3 in overall quality

$8,788 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Minnesota State University - Mankato landed the #3 spot on the list. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large school located in Mankato, Minnesota that handed out 4 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Minnesota State Mankato also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Minnesota State University - Mankato are $8,788.

Read full report on General Engineering at Minnesota State University - Mankato

#4

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota

#5 in overall quality

$16,743 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend South Dakota State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. South Dakota State University is located in Brookings, South Dakota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 masters’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

South Dakota State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at South Dakota State are $16,743, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about General Engineering at South Dakota State

#5

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, Missouri

#2 in overall quality

$22,074 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$54,869 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Saint Louis University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 27 diplomas to qualified masters’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

SLU also made our “Best General Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at SLU are $22,074, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Saint Louis University General Engineering Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Engineering (Income $30-$48k)

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Rémi Kaupp.

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