Civil Engineering Technologies at Minnesota State Community and Technical College
MN · Associate's Degree · CIP 15.02
Executive Summary
Graduates with a Civil Engineering Technologies degree from Minnesota State Community and Technical College earn a median salary of $62,590 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $66,514. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.3 years.
Quick Insights
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
$50,402
Typical Career
$62,590
Top Performers
$75,235
Estimated break-even: 7.3 years.
Debt-to-Income Check
$417
Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment
Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,216. Most students can comfortably afford about a $417 monthly loan payment with this degree.
Comparison Bench
This degree earns 1.6x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x more than the average college graduate.
Purchasing Power Context
A dollar in Minnesota buys what costs $0.94 nationally.
Industry Breadcrumbs
Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Retail Trade, Manufacturing.
Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work
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
$66,514
Nominal: $62,590 in Minnesota (COL 94.1% of national avg) · 6.3% 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).
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 | $42,371 | $51,929 | $66,580 |
| 5 Years After Graduation | $50,402 | $62,590 | $75,235 |
| 10 Years After Graduation | $60,590 | $74,301 | $89,353 |
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 $62,590 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in MN, which has a cost-of-living index of 94.1% of the national average.
Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $62,590 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9410)
= $66,514 National Average equivalent.
COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →
Career Verdict
The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 47.4% of them finding employment in this field, followed by 32.5% and 31.7% in similar roles. The estimated break-even point for those pursuing this degree versus a high-school-only path is approximately 7.3 years, suggesting a favorable return on investment over time. Overall, the data indicates that pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering Technologies can lead to stable employment and increasing earnings, particularly within the health care sector.
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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.