{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"EducationalOccupationalProgram","data_version":"1.0","generated_from":"2026-10-12","license":"Free to reuse with attribution: cite \"EducationGuide.com\" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).","url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/western-carolina-university/majors/engineering","ids":{"ipeds_unitid":200004,"cip4":"14.01","school_slug":"western-carolina-university","major_slug":"engineering"},"school":{"name":"Western Carolina University","city":"Cullowhee","state":"NC","control":"Public","url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/western-carolina-university","data":"https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/western-carolina-university.json"},"major":{"name":"Engineering","area":"Engineering","credential":"Bachelor's degree"},"outcomes":{"median_earnings_1yr":62244,"median_earnings_4yr":82500,"median_debt":25550,"debt_to_earnings_4yr":0.31,"year":{"earnings_1yr":"Treasury AY2018-19, AY2019-20 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars","earnings_4yr":"Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars","debt":"NSLDS pooled AY2018-19, AY2019-20 cohort"},"source":"College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)"},"national":{"colleges_reporting":57,"median_earnings_4yr":88063,"median_debt":27000},"compared_with_same_major":{"calculated_by":"EducationGuide","state":{"geography":"NC","colleges_reporting":4,"median_earnings_4yr":86596,"difference":-4096},"us":{"colleges_reporting":57,"median_earnings_4yr":88063,"difference":-5563},"note":"State and U.S. medians are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major (4 years after graduating); a state median is published when at least 3 colleges in the state report earnings."},"value":{"calculated_by":"EducationGuide","time_to_finish":{"average_years_among_graduates":4.34,"finished_in_4_years":0.4138,"finished_within_6_years":0.5908,"cohort":1977,"entering_class":"Fall 2017","source":"IPEDS Graduation Rates (bachelor's-seeking cohort)"},"baseline":{"median_earnings_high_school_graduates":33516,"geography":"NC","ages":"25-34","years":"2020-2024","respondents":9592,"description":"high school graduates ages 25-34 in NC (Census ACS 2020-2024)","source":"U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year PUMS (microdata): ages 25-34, high school diploma or GED as highest level, not enrolled, earnings > 0; EducationGuide calculation"},"earnings_used":82500,"earnings_basis":"median earnings of this major's graduates 4 years after graduating (College Scorecard field of study); school-wide net price","by_family_income":{"0-30k":{"net_price_per_year":8816,"cost_to_finish":38261,"payback_years":0.8,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"under 1 year"},"30-48k":{"net_price_per_year":10012,"cost_to_finish":43452,"payback_years":0.9,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"under 1 year"},"48-75k":{"net_price_per_year":12605,"cost_to_finish":54706,"payback_years":1.1,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"1.1 years"},"75-110k":{"net_price_per_year":17060,"cost_to_finish":74040,"payback_years":1.5,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"1.5 years"},"110k+":{"net_price_per_year":17992,"cost_to_finish":78085,"payback_years":1.6,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"1.6 years"}},"method":"cost_to_finish = max(0, net price per year) x average years graduates took; payback_years = cost_to_finish / (earnings_used - baseline), one decimal; status over_cap above 20 years, no_premium when earnings do not exceed the baseline. 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